U.S. Bird Flu Cases Continue in Poultry. Here’s Where HPAI Is Spreading in March 2025

The Latest

To date, more than 166.2 million reported birds have been affected by HPAI since February 2022, with cases found in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Cases slowed down significantly for most of 2024, but have risen since the start of November.

Cases have continued to rise in the opening months of 2025. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has reported 110 new cases of Highly Pathological Avian Influenza (HPAI) over 27 different states in the past 30 days.

What Producers Can Do

Anyone involved with poultry production, from the small backyard to the large commercial producer, should review their biosecurity activities to assure the health of their birds, the USDA said. The department has a list of tools producers can use to help with biosecurity measures.

APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials on joint incident responses. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the properties will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flocks will not enter the food system.

Signs of avian influenza include: birds dying without clinical signs; lack of energy; decreased egg production; soft-shelled or misshapen eggs; swelling or purple discoloration of the head, eyelids, comb, and hocks; nasal discharge; coughing; sneezing; incoordination; and diarrhea. The USDA has a resource with images to help identify discoloration and other clinical signs.

If farmers have a bird they believe has passed away because of avian influenza, state officials encourage them to double-bag the bird and refrigerate to preserve it for testing.

Rising Worries About Human Cases

Human cases of HPAI have been reported since the outbreak began, and pathologists have expressed worries about its potential to mutate and spread rapidly among humans.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) still maintains that the public risk of HPAI is low. In a statement on its website on Dec. 23, the CDC said: “CDC considers the risk to the general public associated with the ongoing U.S. HPAI A (H5N1) outbreak has not changed and remains low. The detection of a severe human case with genetic changes in a clinical specimen underscores the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance in people and animals, containment of avian influenza A(H5) outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry, and prevention measures among people with exposure to infected animals or environments.”

On Jan. 6, a person in Louisiana infected with HPAI died. This was the first reported human death from bird flu since the outbreak began in 2022.

Cases in Last 30 Days

The states with affected counties since Feb. 1, 2025, are:

Arizona

• Graham County — 280 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Pinal County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds

California

• Merced County — 87,000 commercial duck meat birds
• Riverside County — 208,200 commercial egg table pullets
• San Joaquin County — 22,200 commercial turkey meat birds
• Stanislaus County — 30,200 commercial turkey meat birds

Colorado

• Weld County — 150 WOAH poultry birds

Connecticut

• New London County — 20 WOAH non-poultry birds

Delaware

• Sussex County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds

Florida

• Broward County — 70 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Collier County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Miami-Dade County — 120 WOAH poultry birds

Indiana

• Elkhart County — 4,200 commercial duck breeder birds
• Jackson County — 2.63 million commercial table egg layer birds
• Jay County — 19,900 commercial turkey meat birds
• Shelby County — 60 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Washington County — 19,400 commercial turkey meat birds

Iowa

• Buena Vista County — 26,700 commercial turkey meat birds
• O’Brien County — 240,000 commercial egg layer hens
• Sac County — 29,700 commercial turkey meat birds

Kansas

• Phillips County — 60 WOAH non-poultry birds

Maine

• Cumberland County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds; 80 WOAH non-poultry birds

Maryland

• Worcester County — 201,600 commercial broiler production birds

Massachusetts

• Dukes County — 50 WOAH non-poultry birds

Michigan

• Monroe County — 40 WOAH non-poultry birds

Minnesota

• Crow Wing County — 160 WOAH non-poultry birds

Missouri

• Jasper County — 49,400 commercial turkey meat birds; 49,500 commercial turkey meat birds
• Lawrence County — 9,500 commercial turkey meat birds; 14,100
• McDonald County — 650 primary broiler pedigree farm birds; 131,400 commercial broiler production birds; 11,700 commercial turkey meat birds; 18,300 commercial broiler breeder birds
• Newton County — 44,400 commercial broiler production birds
• Perry County — 20 WOAH non-poultry birds

Nebraska

• Saunders County — 50 WOAH non-poultry birds

New Jersey

• Union County — 840 live bird market birds

New York

• Bronx County — 100 live bird market birds
• Delaware County — 240 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Queens County — 200 live bird market birds; 520 live bird market birds; 420 live bird market birds
• Westchester County — 100 WOAH non-poultry birds

North Carolina

• Dare County — 20 backyard producer birds

Ohio

• Auglaize County — 11,000 commercial turkey meat birds
• Darke County — 522,200 commercial table egg layer birds; 3.1 million commercial table egg layer birds; 164,900 commercial table egg layer birds
• Mercer County — 232,600 commercial table egg layer birds; 30,000 commercial turkey meat birds; 388,900 commercial table egg layer birds; 4,100 commercial turkey meat birds; 96,300 commercial table egg layer birds; 84,800 commercial table egg layer birds; 10,600 commercial turkey meat birds; 55,900 WOAH poultry birds
• Van Wert County — 21,400 commercial turkey meat birds

Pennsylvania

• Butler County — 610 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Cumberland County — 26,400 commercial broiler production birds
• Dauphin County — 1.98 million commercial table egg layer birds
• Lancaster County — 14,900 WOAH poultry birds; 40,000 commercial duck meat birds; 610 WOAH poultry birds
• Lebanon County — 86,000 commercial egg table layer birds; 53,500 commercial broiler production birds
• Lehigh County — 47,900 WOAH poultry birds
• Monroe County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Philadelphia County — 1,100 live bird market birds

Rhode Island

• Washington County — 50 WOAH non-poultry birds

South Dakota

• Yankton County — 50 WOAH non-poultry birds