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In less than 3 months more than 70% of the nation has now reported highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPA1) in what is the most widespread outbreak in North American history. There have been nearly 600 detections in wild and migratory birds across 30 states, and over 150 outbreaks in commercial and non-commercial flocks in more than 2 dozen states.
While some flock sizes have not been been added, the USDA lists more than 23,000,000 birds lost to the virus or culling.
Today Montana becomes the latest state to confirm the presence of HPAI.
USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Montana
Published: Apr 8, 2022
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2022 – The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in two flocks in Montana – a non-commercial, backyard flock (poultry) in Cascade County, and a non-commercial, backyard flock (non-poultry) in Judith Basin County.
Samples from the flocks were tested at the Montana Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials in the state on a joint incident response. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the properties will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flocks will not enter the food system.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of all poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F is recommended as a general food safety precaution.
As part of existing avian influenza response plans, Federal and State partners are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in areas around the affected flocks. The United States has the strongest AI surveillance program in the world, and USDA is working with its partners to actively look for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations.
Anyone involved with poultry production from the small backyard to the large commercial producer should review their biosecurity activities to assure the health of their birds. APHIS has materials about biosecurity, including videos, checklists, and a toolkit available at: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/defend-the-flock-program/dtf-resources/dtf-resources.
This is the first major outbreak of HPAI H5 since the epizootic of 2015, which caused the loss of roughly 50 millions birds across 15 states (see map below).
Although HPAI H5N1 is now considered to be a zoonotic virus, it is believed to pose a low risk to public health (see March 7, 2022 Update: H5N1 Bird Flu Poses Low Risk to the Public), and - for now, at least - remains primarily a threat to wild birds and poultry.
