Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Last Modified: July 16, 2024
The United States has the strongest avian influenza surveillance program in the world. Through our ongoing wild bird surveillance program, APHIS collects and tests large numbers of samples from wild birds in the North American flyways.
It is not uncommon to detect avian influenza in wild birds, as avian influenza viruses circulate freely in those populations without the birds appearing sick. In addition to monitoring for avian influenza in wild bird populations, APHIS monitors for the virus in commercial and backyard birds.
With the recent detections of the Eurasian H5 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds and domestic poultry in the United States, bird owners should review their biosecurity practices and stay vigilant to protect poultry and pet birds from this disease. APHIS is working closely with State partners on surveillance, reporting, and control efforts.
Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks
Last Modified: Junio 20, 2024
APHIS confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial flock in the United States on February 8, 2022. Since then, we have worked swiftly to identify and respond to detections and mitigate the virus’ impact on U.S. poultry production and trade.
Detections are higher in the fall and spring, because we continue to see wild birds spreading virus as they migrate to their seasonal homes. APHIS continues to work closely with State animal health officials on surveillance efforts to look for the virus in commercial, backyard, and wild birds. We also continue to encourage all bird owners to practice strong biosecurity—that means reducing opportunities for wildlife to spread the virus to their birds and preventing the spread of the virus from one premises to another.
To provide context on the overall size of the U.S. poultry flock, there are more than 378.5 million egg-laying chickens in the United States. In 2023, more than 9.4 billion broiler chickens and 218 million turkeys were processed in the United States (data from USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service).
Confirmed HPAI Detections
The dashboard below is designed to provide a current snapshot of confirmed HPAI detections in the United States. While it also includes summary data compiled since the outbreak began, looking at cases confirmed over the last 30 days provides the best picture of how the virus is currently impacting U.S. birds. We expect the number of cases to ebb and flow as the levels of virus continues to change in different areas based on wild bird movement.
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Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Birds
Last Modified: July 31, 2024
Wild birds can be infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and show no signs of illness. They can carry the disease to new areas when migrating, potentially exposing domestic poultry to the virus.
APHIS’ wild bird surveillance program provides an early warning system for the introduction and distribution of avian influenza viruses of concern in the United States, allowing APHIS and the poultry industry to take timely and rapid action to reduce the risk of spread to our poultry industry and other populations of concern.
Confirmed HPAI Detections
Captive wild birds, defined by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as a wild animal that is captive or otherwise lives under or requires human supervision or control, are included in the numbers reported on this page. Captive wild birds, including sick wild birds that may have died after being found and taken to a rehabilitator or sanctuary, will have the designation of “captive wild bird” in the WOAH Classification column. To remain consistent with current reporting, information will continue to be broken down to the county level. To protect privacy, private or business names will not be released. This is consistent with current reporting of wild birds as well as commercial and backyard flocks.
APHIS is continuing to process samples collected over the past year from State and partner agencies and will continue to post this information on this page. The detection date is the date of National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmatory testing. APHIS will provide updates below when there are significant differences between sample collection and detection dates.
For submitting agencies who notice data errors or omissions, please send an email with supporting documentation (laboratory report/accession number/data collection) to wslabresults@usda.gov.
The two maps below represent:
- A comprehensive view of all HPAI detections in wild birds since the beginning of the U.S. outbreak in January 2022, and
- The number of HPAI detections in wild birds from the past 30 days.
Both maps represent samples collected by APHIS Wildlife Services as well as morbidity/mortality samples submitted by State agencies and private facilities. The data presented visually in these maps is also available in the table below.
