Avian flu strikes three more California turkey flocks

Three new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in California, bringing the total number of commercial poultry flocks in the state to be affected in August to six.

Roy Graber Headshot
(Andrei310 | Bigstock)
(Andrei310 | Bigstock)

Three new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in California, bringing the total number of commercial poultry flocks in the state to be affected in August to six.

On August 30, the presence of HPAI was confirmed in two commercial turkey flocks in Tuolumne County, and in another commercial turkey flock in Sacramento County. The Tuolumne County flocks consisted of 7,400 birds and 91,000 birds, while the Sacramento County flock had 97,000 turkeys, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture stated on its website that the Sacramento County flock is under quarantine and the birds are being euthanized, but as of noontime August 31 had not reported anything concerning the new Tuolumne County cases.

This is the first case of HPAI in commercial poultry in Sacramento County in 2022, and Tuolumne County has now had three cases. Two cases were also reported earlier this month in Fresno County, involving two commercial broiler breeder flocks. One of those flocks involved 34,800 chickens, while the other involved 33,900. The earlier Tuolumne County case included 161,000 commercial meat turkeys.

Avian influenza in other states

Prior to these cases in California, the last confirmed case to be announced by APHIS was in a commercial turkey farm in Sanpete County, Utah, on July 26.

However information from APHIS on two more cases of HPAI in Minnesota might be forthcoming. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBOAH) reported that the presence of HPAI was confirmed in two commercial turkey flocks in Meeker County on August 30.

HPAI has been confirmed in 2022 in commercial poultry in the states of California, Utah, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Colorado, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. 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 North American commercial poultry flocks, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.

Read our ongoing coverage of the global avian influenza outbreak.

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