WASHINGTON – Nebraska was the latest state to report an HPAI outbreak at a commercial operation as more cases continue to pop up during the fall months. 

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed that 159,000 birds in a commercial gamebird flock in York County, Neb., were affected.  

The NDA said in a release that it would establish a 6.2-mile control zone around the affected premises, as is USDA policy. 

Roger Dudley, DVM, Nebraska state veterinarian, said the birds would be humanely depopulated and disposed of in an approved manner. 

“Poultry producers in these zones should know the signs and symptoms of HPAI and notify NDA immediately of sick or dying birds,” the agency said.

A smaller backyard flock of under 100 in Box Butte County, Neb., also were affected by HPAI. 

On Oct. 3, a commercial turkey operation in Stanislaus County, Calif., saw 51,000 birds affected by the virus. This was the first HPAI case for that specific county in California and the 11th for the state. 

The latest numbers from APHIS on Oct. 5 show that 492 commercial and backyard flocks have been discovered with HPAI in 40 states. To date, the virus has affected 46.91 million birds.