US Confirms Four More Bird Flu Outbreaks; 60 in Commercial Turkeys
US - USDA confirmed four new outbreaks of H5N2 highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry on 24 April, all affecting commercial flocks - three of turkeys and one of chickens. Three of the outbreaks were in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin.
25 April 2015
2 minute read
By: Details of the four outbreak confirmed on 24 April by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are:
- Wisconsin: Chippewa county - Commercial turkeys - 56,500
- Minnesota - Clay county - Commercial chickens - 175,000
- Minnesota - Kandiyohi county - Commercial turkeys - number pending
- Minnesota - Kandiyohi county - Commercial turkeys - number pending.
Overview of high-path avian flu outbreaks in US poultry
The following information is based on published USDA APHIS outbreak reports:
- The latest cases bring the total number of high-path avian flu outbreaks since December 2014 to 76.
- Outbreaks have occurred in poultry in 13 states.
- Three of the early outbreaks were caused by the H5N8 sub-type of the virus but in all those since mid-February 2015, the H5N2 variant has been confirmed.
- The majority of outbreaks have been in commercial turkeys (60); four have been in commercial chickens and 12 in backyard flocks.
- The number of poultry affected by these outbreaks now exceeds 7.8 million. This figure includes almost 4.3 million commercial chickens, more than 3.5 million commercial turkeys and 7,173 backyard poultry.
- The disease has also affected five captive wild birds.
