Federal agencies confirmed new avian flu cases in commercial turkey and broiler flocks located in Arkansas and Minnesota.
HPAI in Arkansas
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in commercial broilers located in Carroll County, Arkansas, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Flock size was not reported.
This is the first case for Carroll County and the third flock in Arkansas with HPAI. The last Arkansas case was reported on October 31, involving 31,600 broiler breeder pullets in Madison County.
HPAI in Minnesota
APHIS also reported HPAI in commercial turkey flocks in Becker and Otter Tail Counties.
The Becker County case involved 25,500 commercial turkey breeder hens. This is the fifth confirmed flock in Becker County, with the last case reported on October 19 and impacting 20,200 turkey breeder hens.
In Otter Tail County, the HPAI cased involved 19,000 commercial turkeys. This is the tenth reported positive flock in the county, with the most recent reported on November 24.
These two cases bring the number of positive flocks confirmed with HPAI in Minnesota at 109. HPAI was most recently confirmed on November 27 in Brown County. That case involved another turkey breeder operation, with 7,700 birds affected.
Turkey farms with toms could be more susceptible to HPAI than operations without toms, found a recent study from the USDA. Toms spend more time on the farm and have a longer growth cycle than hens, so they have greater exposure to potential fomites that help spread the disease.
The most recent outbreak of HPAI has resulted in the depopulation of 60 million commercial birds, with new cases continuing to be reported.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.
To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in the United States, Mexico and Canada, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.
