AVIAN FLU UPDATE
NOVEMBER 9, 2022

In one week, Wright County has lost two layer flocks and more than 2.1 million laying hens.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has hit another layer flock in Wright County, Iowa, making it the second time during the past week that more than a million hens were lost to HPAI.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported the virus was confirmed in a flock of 1,022,800 hens in Wright County on October 6. This follows another case in Wright County, in which APHIS confirmed the presence of HPAI in a flock of 1,100,000 laying hens.

To date, these are the only two cases to be reported in Wright County, but Iowa has been hit hard by HPAI since it first appeared in the state in early March. So far in 2022, HPAI has struck 17 commercial poultry flocks and five backyard flocks in Iowa, and as a result, approximately 15.5 million birds in the state have been lost.

According to APHIS figures, nearly one third of the commercial birds lost to HPAI came from Iowa. Once the newest Wright County flock was added to the list, APHIS estimated the loss of 48,634,552 head of commercial poultry.

While it has been Iowa that has lost the most birds, Minnesota has had the most flocks affected by HPAI. On November 1, APHIS confirmed Minnesota’s 77^th case of HPAI in a commercial turkey flock in Stearns County. Minnesota’s total number for bird losses has been estimated at about 3.8 million.