U.S. Faces Bird Flu Threat as Cases Surge in Early 2025. Here’s Where HPAI is Spreading

This story will be continually updated as new commercial and backyard cases are reported to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

The Latest

To date, more than 130.6 million reported birds have been affected by HPAI since February 2022, with cases found in all 50 states. Cases slowed down significantly for most of 2024, but have risen since the start of November.

Cases have continued to rise in the opening days of 2025. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has reported 95 new cases of Highly Pathological Avian Influenza (HPAI) over 23 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 December 1, 2024, are:

Alabama

• Cullman County — 116,000 commercial broiler production birds
• Pickens County — 50 WOAH non-poultry birds

Arkansas

• Clay County — 227,500 commercial broiler production birds
• Craighead County — 50 WOAH non-poultry birds; 10 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Jackson County — 230 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Lafayette County — 40 WOAH non-poultry bids
• Pope County — 40 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Sharp County — 20 WOAH non-poultry birds

California

• Butte County — 70 WOAH non-poultry birds; 44,700 commercial raised for upland game birds
• El Dorado County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Fresno County — 237,100 commercial broiler production birds
• Kern County — 45,400 WOAH poultry birds
• Merced County — 53,100 commercial turkey meat birds; 424,700 commercial table egg pullets; 119,000 commercial duck meat birds; 1.72 million commercial table egg layer birds; 793,700 commercial table egg layer birds; 306,100 commercial table egg layer birds
• Monterey County — 13,700 commercial duck breeder birds
• Riverside County — 181,300 commercial table egg layer birds; 1.1 million commercial table egg layer birds; 70 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Sacramento County — 48,300 commercial turkey meat birds; 61,200 commercial turkey meat birds
• San Joaquin County — 627,800 commercial table egg layer birds; 13,000 commercial duck meat birds
• Stanislaus County — 23,100 commercial turkey meat birds; 57,700 commercial turkey meat birds; 720,800 commercial table egg layer birds; 44,100 WOAH poultry birds; 81,800 commercial duck breeder birds; 33,100 commercial turkey meat birds; 295,800 commercial table egg layer birds; 392,100 commercial table egg layer birds; 101,700 commercial broiler production birds; 75,200 commercial table egg layer birds
• Tulare County: 514,500 commercial boiler production birds; 330,200 commercial broiler production birds; 41,100 commercial duck meat birds

Colorado

• La Plata County — 20 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Pitkin County — 50 WOAH non-poultry birds

Delaware

• Kent County — 194,800 commercial broiler production birds; 125,000 commercial broiler production birds

Florida

• Palm Beach County — 4 WOAH non-poultry birds

Georgia

• Clayton County — 10 WOAH non-poultry birds

Idaho

• Canyon County — 180 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Franklin County — 40 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Jefferson County — 60 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Lemhi County — 20 WOAH non-poultry birds; 150 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Twin Falls County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds

Illinois

• Lawrence County — 40,300 commercial turkey meat birds
• Livingston County — 40,900 commercial turkey breeder hens

Indiana

• Jay County — 19,900 commercial turkey meat birds

Iowa

• Clinton County — 40 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Monona County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds
• O’Brien County — 351,400 commercial table egg layers
• Palo Alto County — 31,100 commercial turkey flock birds
• Sac County — 45,200 commercial turkey flock birds
• Sioux County — 4.2 million commercial table egg-layer chickens; 1.6 million commercial layer chickens; 428,600 commercial table egg-layer chickens
• Taylor County — 1.1 million commercial layer chickens
• Woodbury County — 50 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Worth County — 19,500 commercial turkey meat birds

Kansas

• Anderson County — 40 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Coffey County — 50 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Doniphan County — 5,700 commercial raised for release upland game birds
• Douglas County — 100 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Jewell County — 40 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Phillips County — 10 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Rooks County — 5,300 commercial raised for release upland game birds
• Sedgwick County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds

Louisiana

• Bossier Parish — 40 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Jefferson Davis Parish — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds

Michigan

• Jackson County — WOAH non-poultry birds
• Oakland County — 100 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Ottawa County — 23,600 commercial turkey meat birds; 29,600 commercial turkey meat birds; 113,200 commercial turkey meat birds; 75,500 commercial turkey meat birds; 47,000 commercial turkey meat birds; 55,200 commercial turkey meat birds

Minnesota

• Chippewa County — 54,800 commercial turkey meat birds
• Fillmore County — 28,600 commercial turkey meat birds
• Houston County — 60 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Olmsted County — 120 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Stearns County — 12,700 commercial turkey meat birds

Mississippi

• Copiah County — 210,000 commercial broiler production birds
• Greene County — 26,000 commercial broiler breeder birds

Missouri

• Cass County — 60 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Cedar County — 20 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Cooper County — 14,900 commercial turkey breeder hens; 13,000 commercial turkey breeder hens
• Dade County — 90 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Daviess County — 19,900 WOAH poultry birds
• Howard County — 60 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Pemiscot County — 70 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Perry County — 20 WOAH non-poultry birds

Nebraska

• Dodge County — 10 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Johnson County — 217,600 commercial broiler production birds
• Lancaster County — 290 WOAH poultry birds
• Nemaha County — 12,400 commercial turkey breeder hens
• Sarpy County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds

North Carolina

• Hyde County — 3.31 million commercial table egg layer birds

North Dakota

• Bottineau County — 30 WOAH poultry birds
• Nelson County — 60 WOAH non-poultry birds

Ohio

• Darke County — 931,300 commercial table egg layer birds; 245,300 commercial table egg layer birds; 21,100 commercial turkey meat birds
• Greene County — 110 WOAH poultry birds

Oklahoma

• Adair County — 51,600 commercial broiler breeder birds; 40,000 WOAH poultry birds; 85,000 commercial turkey meat birds; 45,000 commercial turkey meat birds

Oregon

• Jackson County — 60 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Malheur County — 8 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Union County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds; 400 WOAH non-poultry birds

South Dakota

• Beadle County — 41,100 commercial turkey meat birds; 50,900 commercial turkey meat birds; 15,200 commercial turkey meat birds
• Bon Homme County — 48,700 commercial turkey meat birds
• Brule County — 50,900 commercial turkey meat birds
• Charles Mix County — 65,300 commercial turkey meat birds; 32,400 commercial turkey meat birds; 1,800 WOAH poultry birds
• Faulk County — 56,400 commercial turkey meat birds
• Gregory County — 90 WOAH non-poultry birds
• Hutchinson County — 42,900 commercial turkey meat birds
• Kingsbury County — 39,500 commercial turkey meat birds
• Lake County — 20 WOAH non-poultry birds
• McPherson County — 78,200 commercial turkey meat birds
• Miner County — 1,500 WOAH poultry birds
• Moody County — 46,700 commercial turkey meat birds
• Spink County — 41,400 commercial turkey meat birds

Tennessee

• Tipton County — 10 WOAH non-poultry birds

Texas

• Brazoria County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds

Utah

• Utah County — 30 WOAH non-poultry birds

Vermont

• Franklin County — 20 WOAH non-poultry birds

West Virginia

• Pocahontas County — 9 WOAH poultry birds

Wisconsin

• Barron County — 13,200 commercial turkey breeder hens
• Burnett County — 18,600 commercial turkey meat birds
• Kenosha County — 6 WOAH poultry birds

Wyoming

• Washakie County — 20 WOAH non-poultry birds