Two commercial broiler flocks and one Wisconsin turkey flock are the latest confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States.
The virus has also been detected in commercial poultry operations in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Quebec.
Avian influenza in California
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that HPAI was confirmed in two commercial broiler flocks in Stanislaus County, California, on December 5.
One of the affected flocks included 254,400 birds, while the other included 239,900 birds.
So far in 2023, California has had eight commercial poultry farms affected by HPAI, involving broilers, turkeys, ducks and laying hens. In 2022, the state had 15 commercial flocks get hit by HPAI.
Stanislaus County has had a total of four commercial flocks hit by HPAI, with two occurring in 2023 and two in 2022.
Avian influenza in Wisconsin
On December 4, APHIS confirmed the presence of HPAI in a commercial meat turkey flock in Barron County, Wisconsin. There were 113,800 birds involved.
This is the fourth commercial poultry flock in Wisconsin to be affected by HPAI in 2023. During the previous year, the state had 11 commercial flocks affected. Six of those farms affected in 2022 were in Barron County.
Avian influenza in Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reported that two more commercial poultry farms have been hit by HPAI.
On December 4, the presence of HPAI was confirmed at a commercial poultry farm in Les Maskoutains, Quebec. This is the tenth commercial poultry operation in the rural municipality to be affected by HPAI in 2023.
The following day, HPAI was confirmed in a commercial poultry operation in Taber, Alberta. There were two cases of HPAI in commercial farms in Taber in 2022, but this is the first commercial poultry flock to be affected by the virus in 2023. However, a non-commercial flock in Taber was struck by HPAI in November 2023.
So far during the 2022-23 HPAI outbreak, Alberta has had 47 commercial flocks affected by HPAI, while Quebec has had 43. They rank second and third, respectively, as the provinces with the most flocks affected by HPAI. British Columbia has had the most with 126.
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.
