The presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in a commercial broiler breeder flock in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma.
This marks the first confirmed case of HPAI in a commercial poultry flock in Oklahoma in 2022, although there was a case reported in a wild duck in the state in late March.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), samples from the flock were tested at the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. APHIS and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and Forestry announced the case on May 1.
There were 13,800 chickens in the flock.
APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials in Oklahoma on a joint incident response. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the property were depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.
“While this case of HPAI is not unexpected, we have prepared for this and are working closely with USDA and livestock producers to control and eradicate this disease from our state,” said Dr. Rod Hall, state veterinarian for Oklahoma. “We have activated our avian influenza response plan and are working diligently with federal partners to prevent further spread of the virus.”
Beginning May 1, all poultry exhibition, public sales and swap meets are banned in the state of Oklahoma until further notice in order to halt any potential spread of this virus. The ban is set to end on July 30, unless evidence shows it should be extended.
Sequoyah County is in far eastern Oklahoma, bordering Arkansas.
In addition to Oklahoma, the following states have had confirmed HPAI cases in commercial poultry: Minnesota, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Utah. The virus has also been found in commercial game bird operations in Texas, New York and South Dakota.
To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in the United States and Canada, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.
Read our ongoing coverage of the global avian influenza outbreak.
