GAINESVILLE, Ga. — As the temperature cools and fall migration continues, highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to spread west. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development recently announced that HPAI was detected in a commercial flock in Ottawa County, Michigan.
This is following an investigation by the MDARD that led to the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory detecting the virus. This is the eighth case of HPAI in poultry from an Ottawa County flock since the virus was first detected in Michigan in 2022, and the third case detected in poultry in the county this year, the department said in a release.
The department is reminding people that adhering to biosecurity measures and using personal protective equipment continues to be important in ensuring the health of Michigan’s domestic animals and the public.
MDARD is continuing to work meticulously with local, state and federal partners to quickly respond to reports of sick domestic animals to best mitigate the spread of HPAI and provide outreach, the department said.
Further west, the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed HPAI in a backyard flock of ducks and chickens in Wallowa County, Oregon, earlier this week.
This is the first confirmed case of HPAI in Wallowa County, the Oregon Department of Agriculture mentioned in a release. The Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University tested samples from the infected flock and confirmed the presence of HPAI last week.
Dr. Ryan Scholz, Oregon’s state veterinarian, placed the affected farm under quarantine, and all poultry on the property were humanely euthanized. None of the animals on the farm entered the food supply chain, and they weren’t intended for the commercial food market, the department noted.
Since May 2022, three commercial poultry flocks and 47 backyard flocks have been affected in Oregon.
On Oct. 9, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reported that for the previous 30 days there have been 24 commercial flocks and 14 backyard flocks affected by HPAI. Commercial flocks include 10 in Minnesota and 7 in South Dakota. These combined confirmations totaled 4.40 million affected birds.
For more information on bird flu, visit APHIS at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza.
