The number of commercial poultry flocks to be affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States continues to rise.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported three new flock infections in South Dakota and two in California. The presence of HPAI was confirmed in all five flocks on December 10.
Avian flu in South Dakota
APHIS reported that Beadle, Charles Mix and Moody counties each had one commercial meat turkey flock struck by HPAI. The Moody County flock was the largest with 46,700 turkeys. The Beadle County flock had 15,200 turkeys and the Charles Mix flock had 32,400 turkeys.
So far in 2024, South Dakota has had 14 commercial flocks struck by HPAI.
Avian flu in California
A commercial broiler flock in Tulare County and a commercial duck breeder flock in Stanislaus County are the latest HPAI detections in California.
According to APHIS, the Tulare County flock involved 330,200 broilers. However, APHIS has not yet disclosed information concerning the number of birds in the duck flock.
California has lost more commercial poultry flocks in 2024 than any other state. HPAI’s toll on California for the year now stands at 32 flocks.
Avian influenza in Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the presence of HPAI in one more commercial poultry flock in British Columbia on December 10. Information concerning flock size and the number of birds involved has not yet been disclosed.
This latest finding was in Chilliwack, where 14 other flocks have been touched by HPAI this year. British Columbia has had by far the most instances of HPAI when compared to other provinces. 48 flocks in British Columbia have been affected by the virus in 2024. Quebec has had the second largest number of flocks affected at six.
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.
