Three new detections have been identified in layer operations in UT, WA, and OR over the past 10 days as the autumnal migration kicks into a full press across the Pacific Northwest and most of the Midwest. Birdcast estimates that over 320 million birds were moving after midnight on October 22, 2023. Multiple non-negative wild bird samples are also being sent to NVSL for confirmation and typing from the Pacific Northwest. The UT strain has been identified as the B3.13 dairy strain even though, at the time of detection, no positive dairies had been reported in Utah. The Washington outbreak has been identified as a D1.1 novel wild bird strain that has reassorted from the original strain that began the 2022 outbreak. Officials are still waiting for the sequencing of the Oregon detection of a large broiler outbreak in California.

In addition to the detections in the US, Canada has reported three cases in the Frazier Valley of British Columbia. This is British Columbia’s first commercial detection since December 2023. Across Europe, 27 outbreaks have been reported in seven countries, with numerous wild bird cases also found. Wild bird migration is once again spreading HPAI, and for the first time, there are multiple threats from different virus strains circulating in wild waterfowl and dairy cattle as vectors.

The response activities are rapidly changing, with at least 31 human-positive cases being reported in both dairy and poultry workers. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is being closely monitored by public health, along with employee screening and testing and contact tracing being a primary focus. These changes will stay in place for the unforeseen future, and producers should prepare to have additional PPE available for an outbreak and complete a worker protection plan to provide additional protection from the virus and ensure compliance with federal regulations.

Dairy detections continue to rise in California, with the national count reaching 334, which is expected to continue to rise. On a recent call with USDA Undersecretary Moffit, poultry groups were reminded of the need for increased and effective biosecurity and to maintain the proper use of PPE during outbreak response throughout virus elimination on the farms. There is no evidence of national movement on dairy bulk tank testing at the farm level, which is critically needed to determine the scope and scale of the dairy outbreak and allow for the concentration of resources for dairy in those with identified positives. With no federal intervention, some states are beginning to move forward with various strategies, from testing all to testing those near outbreak sites, while others are still choosing to forgo testing.

UEP will continue to monitor this quickly progressing issue and provide updates as needed. With the risk of experiencing a non-negative detection, producers should continue conversations with state animal health officials and reinforce rigorous biosecurity protocols.