Confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry flocks in the Pacific Flyway have surged in recent days, with flocks being struck by the virus in California, Utah, Arizona and British Columbia.
U.S. poultry flocks
Among the newest cases of HPAI in the U.S., the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that six more commercial flocks in California had been affected. Those include:
- Two commercial meat turkey flocks in Fresno County, involving 17,700 and 39,600 birds.
- A commercial broiler flock in Fresno County, involving 259,000 birds
- Two commercial broiler flocks in Kings County, involving 279,300 and 53,300 birds.
- A commercial broiler flock in San Joaquin County, involving 29,100 birds.
All six of those flock infections in California were confirmed on November 14. With these new instances of HPAI, California has had more flocks affected by the virus than any other state at 23. In comparison, Minnesota, which has had the second-largest number of flocks struck by HPAI at 18.
APHIS also reported that the presence of HPAI was confirmed on November 13 in a commercial table egg hatchery in Pinal County, Arizona, but information concerning the size of that flock has not yet been disclosed.
A commercial meat turkey flock in Piute County, Utah, on November 15 was the confirmed site of an HPAI infection. Information concerning that flock size has also not yet been made public.
HPAI in Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reported that 11 more commercial poultry flocks in Abbotsford, British Columbia, were affected by HPAI between November 12 and November 17.
Also in British Columbia, three commercial poultry flocks in Chilliwack were struck by HPAI, with one flock infection being confirmed each day from November 15 through November 17.
Information concerning the types of birds in those flocks and the flock sizes has not yet been disclosed.
Also since November 12, British Columbia and Alberta have had confirmed cases of HPAI in non-commercial poultry, but those cases should not have an impact on international poultry trade, in accordance with rules set by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
With these new instances of HPAI, British Columbia has now had 40 commercial poultry flocks hit by HPAI in 2004, all of which have been confirmed since October 21.
In other developments, Oregon has had a human HPAI infection and the presence of HPAI has been confirmed for the first time in Hawaii.
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.
