Federal officials today reported Montana's first two highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu outbreaks, part of ongoing high-path avian flu activity affecting half of US states, as Indiana reported another commercial farm outbreak, its first in about a month.
Activity pushes northwestward
Montana's outbreaks both involved backyard flocks, one in Cascade County, which includes Great Falls, and one in neighboring Judith Basin County, according to a statement from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The latest detection pushes the scope of the outbreak northwestward, following last week's announcement of Wyoming's first outbreak.
Though no wild bird detections have been reported from Montana, in March, Canadian officials reported H5N1 in a bald eagle found dead near Vancouver, thought to be the first high-path detection of the year in the Pacific Flyway.
Virus reappears in Indiana
Meanwhile, Indiana—the first state that reported H5N1 in poultry in the nation's 2022 avian flu outbreak—had gone more than a month without a new outbreak. Yesterday, however, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) reported a new event, this time in Elkhart County on the Michigan border, well north of two earlier affected counties.
In a statement, the BOAH said testing at a commercial duck farm in Elkhart County resulted in a presumed positive for highly pathogenic H5N1. It said the facility houses 4,000 to 5,000 ducks. So far, surveillance in the area has not identified any other outbreaks.
More outbreaks in 7 states
In related developments, APHIS reported eight more poultry outbreaks, including one in Minnesota previously reported by state veterinary officials. Elsewhere in the Midwest, new outbreaks were reported in Missouri (a commercial turkey farm in Dade County), South Dakota (a commercial turkey farm in McPherson County), and Wisconsin (backyard birds in Racine County).
In the East, New York reported another outbreak in backyard birds, this time in Fulton County. Also, North Carolina reported two outbreaks on commercial broiler farms, both in Wayne County, which resulted in the loss of about 280,000 birds.
Poultry is North Carolina's top agricultural industry, and as the nation's fourth biggest broiler chicken state, produces 9.3% of the nation's supply, according to North Carolina State University Extension.
In the West, Wyoming reported another outbreak in backyard birds, which occurred in a mixed species flock in Park County.
The outbreaks involve the Eurasian H5N1 strain, which has struck poultry in multiple world regions. In the United States, outbreaks spanning about half of the country's states have led to the loss of about 24 million poultry.
