The state departments of agriculture of Alabama and Michigan have reported positive detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry operations.
Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) offered an update on the HPAI situation in Wisconsin.
Avian influenza in Alabama
The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) and APHIS have confirmed the presence of HPAI in a commercial broiler farm in Cullman County, ADAI stated in a press release.
Samples from the flock was tested and confirmed positive at the Alabama State Diagnostic Laboratory in Auburn, Alabama, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.
According to ADAI, there were approximately 116,000 chickens in this flock.
APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials in Alabama on a joint incident response and action plan. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and all birds were depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. All poultry within a 10-kilometer radius (6.2 miles) of the commercial Cullman site are being tested and monitored.
APHIS has not yet provided information concerning the Cullman County situation.
ADAI also reported a positive detection of HPAI in a backyard flock in another county, but in accordance with rules set by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), instances of HPAI in backyard poultry should not have an impact on international poultry trade.
Avian influenza in Michigan
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory conducted an investigation in which the presence of HPAI was detected in a commercial poultry facility from Ottawa County, MDARD reported in a press release.
The release did not state what type of poultry was involved, nor did offer information concerning the flock size.
According to MDARD, this is the first detection of the disease in a Michigan poultry flock since May. Prior to this instance, Michigan had dealt with HPAI in seven commercial poultry flocks in 2024. Three of those involved commercial laying hen operations, and four involved commercial meat turkey operations.
Similar to the Alabama HPAI infection, APHIS has not yet included information on the current situation in Ottawa County on its website.
Avian influenza in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) on December 12 reported that the presence of HPAI was confirmed in a commercial poultry flock in Barron County.
However, DATCP offered little other information on the situation other than it was of the H5N1 serotype, and that a joint incident response between DATCP and USDA was ongoing.
APHIS has since reported that the affected flock involved 13,200 commercial turkey breeder hens.
Wisconsin has not had a confirmed case of HPAI in commercial poultry since a flock of commercial turkeys in Washburn County was infected on January 5. That is the only other reported case of HPAI in commercial or backyard poultry in the state in 2024.
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.
