HPAI's toll: 40M commercial, backyard birds infected

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is still spreading across the U.S., with recent detections in a petting zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a backyard flock in Yakima, Washington, according to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). HPAI has been confirmed in 372 commercial and backyard flocks in 36 states, affecting more than 40 million birds as of Wednesday, data from the agency shows.
Still, the virus is showing signs of ebbing, with Michigan recently lifting a statewide ban on poultry and waterfowl exhibitions after 30 days with no new cases in domestic birds. The state had halted bird shows in May as a precautionary measure to curtail the spread of the virus among poultry flocks.
“Even though the state has been able to reach this incredibly important benchmark, this does not mean the virus has left Michigan,” state veterinarian Nora Wineland said Monday in a statement. “HPAI continues to be detected in wild birds throughout the state.”
The Canadian province of Prince Edward Island is nixing poultry shows this summer in a bid to prevent the spread of HPAI, according to a local news report. The virus has not been detected in any commercial flocks, but has infected wild birds in the province, the Island Farmer reported.