The presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in another commercial poultry flock in Michigan.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the latest case involved a commercial meat turkey flock in Ottawa County. The flock included 104,000 turkeys. The case was confirmed on April 24.
This is the first instance of HPAI in Ottawa County poultry during the 2022-24 HPAI outbreak.
However, no state has been hit as hard by H5N1 HPAI in recent weeks as Michigan. In April alone, five commercial flocks have been affected, involving nearly 6.7 million birds. Two of those flocks involved turkeys, while the other three involved laying hens. All three layer flocks were in Ionia County, while the other turkey flock was in Newaygo County.
Prior to April, the last time HPAI appeared in a commercial poultry operation in Michigan was December 27, 2023, when 31,500 commercial turkeys in Muskegon County were affected.
Dairy cattle in Michigan also hit by H5N1
The H5N1 virus has not only been present in poultry operations in Michigan, but also in commercial dairy operations in the state.
According to APHIS, between March 29 and April 17, six Michigan dairy herds have been affected by the virus. APHIS did not disclose the counties where these bovine cases were confirmed, but the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has identified the following counties: Ottawa, Ionia, Isabella and Montcalm.
To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in the United States, Mexico and Canada, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.
