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.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.