Surging Bird Flu Outbreaks in U.S. Poultry: Vigilance Urged Amid Ongoing Global Threat

The latest headlines on bird flu, or avian influenza, highlight a continued surge of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain in the U.S. poultry sector and ongoing global vigilance, even as major public health agencies maintain that the risk to humans remains low. Just yesterday, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed a new outbreak of HPAI in a commercial flock in Ottawa County, marking the eighth poultry detection in the county since 2022 and the third this year alone. The department stresses the importance of strict biosecurity measures, like isolating domestic birds from wild ones and rigorous cleaning protocols, to slow the virus’s spread.

Across the U.S., the past month has seen a troubling uptick in cases, with the USDA reporting 22 commercial flocks testing positive—affecting 4.3 million birds in states including Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. In early October alone, over 3.7 million birds have been lost nationwide, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. These losses compound a difficult year for the industry, which is still recovering from the loss of more than 70 million birds between October 2024 and March 2025, the American Egg Board says. While egg prices have dropped to their lowest in two years, they remain elevated compared to pre-outbreak levels, underscoring the economic impact of the crisis.

Internationally, Denmark ordered the culling of 150,000 chickens after an H5N1 outbreak was detected in a commercial flock, Reuters reports. In Europe, recent H5N1 detections in wild and domestic birds have been confirmed in Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Meanwhile, human cases remain rare globally, with the most recent confirmed human infections reported in Cambodia in August. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to emphasize that the risk to the general U.S. public from these bird flu outbreaks remains low, and properly cooked poultry and eggs are safe to eat.

Looking ahead, public health and veterinary authorities are closely monitoring the situation, especially with fall bird migrations under way—a period historically linked to increased viral spread. The USDA and state agencies urge poultry producers and backyard flock owners to remain vigilant, report any unusual bird deaths, and adhere to recommended preventative measures.

Thank you for tuning in for this bird flu update. Be sure to join us next week for the latest on this and other health stories. This has been a Quiet Please production—for more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.

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