A flock of more than 1.2 million commercial egg laying hens in Moody County, South Dakota, has been affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that the presence of the virus was confirmed on December 14, listing the number of birds involved as 1,200,400.
With this detection, South Dakota has now had 60 cases of HPAI in commercial poultry operations in 2022. Only Minnesota has had more confirmed HPAI cases in commercial poultry with 81.
This is the first case in Moody County, in the east-central part of the state, of 2022.
APHIS reports case in Nebraska
APHIS reported that HPAI was also confirmed in a commercial layer flock in Knox County, Nebraska. However, with 160 birds affected, this is much smaller than what is traditional for commercial layer flocks. This case was also confirmed on December 14.
Knox County also had a layer flock affected by HPAI on April 27, and in that case, 2,118,000 birds were affected. A backyard flock in Knox County was also affected by HPAI on December 2, with 10 birds affected.
Daviess County, Indiana, case confirmed
APHIS stated that a commercial turkey flock in Daviess County, Indiana was a confirmed case of HPAI. Earlier in the week, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) reported that the flock, that included 11,394 turkeys, was considered a presumptive positive case.
The BOAH also reported that another commercial flock in Martin County that included 27,083 turkeys was depopulated because it was “associated with” the Daviess County flock.
The first case of HPAI in a U.S. commercial poultry flock in 2022 was confirmed in Indiana on February 9. According to APHIS, the state has now had 10 flocks affected, but that number does not include the depopulated Martin County flock.
Avian influenza confirmed in another Ontario flock
A new case of HPAI was confirmed in a commercial flock in Lambton Shores, Ontario, on December 13, reported the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Information concerning the affected flock’s size or the type of birds involved has not yet been disclosed.
This marks the first case of HPAI in Ontario since November 27. While this is the first case of 2022 in Lambton Shores, to date, Ontario has had 28 confirmed HPAI cases.
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.
