LOGAN, Utah — After a month of relative calm in this current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the United States, the virus is back in the headlines. Utah reported its first commercial case of bird flu in 2026 on July 6.
In Cache County, more than 1 million birds were affected at a commercial table egg layer facility, according to USDA data. The last time Utah had a commercial case of bird flu was in October 2025 at two commercial turkey meat facilities in Sanpete County.
However, the last time the state had a detection this size was in October 2024, also at a commercial table egg layer facility in Cache County.
This commercial poultry detection comes almost a week after a sample from a dairy herd in Cache County tested positive for HPAI. This detection is also the first time the virus has been found in dairy in Utah since January 2025, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food noted in a statement.
Before this Utah detection, the number of bird flu detections had slowed down across the country. In the month of June, there was only one commercial detection of bird flu, and it was in Indiana.
According to the Indiana Board of Animal Health, on June 4, more than 19,000 birds were affected by the virus at a commercial egg layer facility in Elkhart County. Any other detections during June came from backyard flocks or live bird markets but nothing commercial, USDA data states.
Although the Utah detection is the only case in July so far, it is a reminder to the poultry industry that bird flu isn’t going anywhere, especially now that it’s reached every continent. Poultry farmers and producers need to continue to be vigilant in their biosecurity practices.
On July 9, APHIS reported that for the previous 30 days there have been 1 commercial flock and 5 backyard flocks affected by HPAI. Commercial flocks include 1 in Utah. These combined national confirmations totaled 1.2 million affected birds.
For more information on bird flu, visit APHIS at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza.
