Avian Flu Found in North Dakota, South Dakota Turkeys

By Jeff Beach

Avian flu has hit turkey farms in North Dakota and South Dakota, the first cases in commercial flocks in the United States since early July. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Aug. 28 confirmed an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Faulk County in northeast South Dakota. The outbreak meant 55,400 birds were killed to prevent the spread of the disease.

It is the first case in a U.S. commercial flock since July 2, when the avian flu was confirmed at a game bird facility in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that bird flu had been confirmed Saturday at a turkey farm in Dickey County, near the South Dakota state line. 

“After a quiet summer, it’s not unexpected that we have another case of HPAI as birds are gathering to begin the fall migration,” North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said in a news release. 

Ethan Andress, state veterinarian in North Dakota, said 60,000 birds had to be destroyed in Dickey County. 

Andress said that because large flocks of waterfowl, such as snow geese, are not yet migrating south over the Dakotas, it may be an indication that the virus was spread from local waterfowl. 

Avian influenza exists in many wild birds and can be transmitted by contact with infected birds or through infected food and water.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the public health risk is low but notes that avian flu also has spread to dairy cattle and humans with one human death.

In August, the avian flu also was confirmed at a live-bird market in Los Angeles County, California, and in backyard birds in St. Lawrence County, New York, according to the USDA.

The poultry industry has been combating different strains of avian influenza since 2020, according to the CDC. 

North Dakota Monitor Deputy Editor Jeff Beach can be reached at [email protected].