New cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continue to appear in Canada, with the most recent case being confirmed on September 15 in Wetaskiwin County, Alberta.
The new case was announced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), but aside from identifying it as a commercial poultry operation, the agency did not disclose information relating to the type of flock or number of birds involved.
This is the third new case of HPAI in commercial poultry in the province this week, as two cases were confirmed on August 12. One of those was found in the Municipal District of Willow Creek and the other one located in Starland County.
Alberta has now had 26 confirmed cases of HPAI in commercial poultry in 2022 in Alberta, three of which were in Wetaskiwin County. According to information from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), one case in that county was confirmed on April 10 and involved 7,605 commercial turkeys, while the other was confirmed on April 21 and involved 161,400 broilers.
Canada has seen a recent surge in new cases of HPAI, with confirmed in Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia and Saskatchewan all occurring in the same week. Several new cases have also been reported in the U.S. state of Minnesota, which shares a border with two Canadian provinces.
Other North American avian influenza developments
Minnesota was the last state to have confirmed cases of HPAI, with two new cases confirmed on September 14. Other states with new cases in commercial poultry to be reported in September include Utah, California and Ohio.
Meanwhile, poultry producers in Tennessee are on high alert after a case of HPAI in a backyard flock was confirmed, APHIS stated in a press release. Prior to that, the only cases of HPAI in the state were in wild birds.
However, a control zone around an affected flock in Fulton County, Kentucky, did stretch into Tennessee. APHIS has since released that control area.
The Tennessee backyard case, in accordance with standards set by the WOAH, should not have any impact on international trade.
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.
