WASHINGTON – The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently confirmed that two more commercial turkey flocks in South Dakota on Oct. 17 were identified with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

The agency stated that the virus affected 65,000 birds in McPherson County and 49,700 birds in Faulk County. South Dakota has now identified four commercial flocks affected by HPAI during 2023. 

Another flock was identified in Jerauld County earlier in October. 

On Oct. 13, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBOH) and APHIS confirmed there was a commercial turkey flock of 72,100 turkeys affected by HPAI in Meeker County, Minn. Two days before that, the state agency identified another 115,000 commercial turkeys in the same county that could have been affected by the virus.

“Unfortunately, HPAI seems to keep popping up during the seasonal migrations in Minnesota,” said Brian Hoefs, DVM, Minnesota state veterinarian. “Before today’s detection our most recent cases were in the spring of this year. Anyone who has poultry should take this detection as a clear sign to keep a close eye on their flock and initiate your strongest biosecurity practices.”

Samples were confirmed positive by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa.

Birds at the site were quarantined and later culled to prevent the spread of the disease.

The last commercial turkey detection in Minnesota was in late December 2022.

With HPAI showing up in nearby states in the last week, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship asked state poultry growers to look for signs of HPAI.

“Unfortunately, highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to be an active threat to our state’s turkey producers, egg layers, and backyard flocks. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant, review their biosecurity plans and ensure they are fully implemented,” said Mike Naig, secretary of agriculture of Iowa. “Prevention of disease is always our goal, but should we face new cases, our team at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, working jointly with USDA and industry partners, is ready to swiftly respond.”

Since the 2022-2023 outbreak began, APHIS numbers from Oct. 18 show that 854 commercial and backyard flocks have been discovered with HPAI in 47 states. To date, the virus has affected 59.33 million birds.