Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been found in three more commercial poultry flocks in California.
According to information from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the presence of HPAI was confirmed in a commercial meat turkey flock in Stanislaus County on November 15. There were 22,400 birds in that flock.
Then, on November 19, HPAI was confirmed in a commercial flock of 38,200 meat turkeys in Merced County, and in a commercial broiler flock in Fresno County, involving 172,800 chickens.
So far in 2024, California has had 26 commercial poultry flocks affected by HPAI.
Update on Arizona situation
APHIS, on its website, also offered an update on the HPAI situation in Arizona. It was earlier reported that the presence of HPAI was confirmed in a commercial table egg hatchery in Pinal County, Arizona, on November 13. However, APHIS now lists the affected flock as a commercial table egg layer flock. Information concerning the number of birds affected has still not been made available.
This is the first time during the 2022-24 outbreak that a commercial flock in Arizona has been hit by HPAI. In November 2022, the presence of HPAI was confirmed in two backyard poultry flocks, but those instances, according to World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) rules, will not have an impact on international poultry trade.
More cases in Canada
HPAI continues to be problematic in Canada, with two new commercial poultry flocks in British Columbia affected. The presence of the virus was confirmed on November 19 in one flock in Abbotsford and one in Chilliwack, reported the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Information concerning the flock types or sizes has not been shared by CFIA.
With these new confirmed cases, British Columbia has had 167 commercial poultry flocks struck by HPAI during the 2022-24 outbreak.
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.
