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Avian flu strikes in Washington, South Dakota, Quebec

Avian flu strikes in Washington, South Dakota, Quebec

Pandemics Public Health

By: Roy Graber


Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in commercial poultry flocks in two U.S. states and one Canadian province.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said new cases have been confirmed in Washington and South Dakota, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said a new case was confirmed in Quebec.

Avian influenza in Washington

The Washington case was confirmed Nov. 4 in Pierce County and involved 47,000 commercial table egg-laying pullets.

In a press release, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) said HPAI had been circulating in wild and domestic birds in the state. Three small backyard flocks that had been exposed to migratory waterfowl tested positive in October. However, WSDA said, this is the state’s first commercial case in 2026. According to APHIS, HPAI was last confirmed in a Washington commercial flock Oct. 9, 2025, when the virus struck a flock of nearly 2 million laying hens in Grant County.

H5N1 has also recently affected dairy cattle in Washington. Earlier this week, a Yakima County resident died after contracting H5N1 following exposure to infected cattle.

WSDA said it is working with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and other local health departments with affected residents to monitor workers who were exposed to infected birds for illness as a precaution.

Avian influenza in South Dakota

Also on Nov. 4, APHIS confirmed HPAI in a commercial meat turkey flock in Beadle County, South Dakota. The flock had 54,100 birds.

HPAI has now been confirmed in 18 commercial poultry flocks in South Dakota in 2026.

Avian influenza in Quebec

CFIA said HPAI was confirmed Nov. 5 in a commercial poultry flock in L’Île-d’Orléans Regional County Municipality, Quebec. CFIA has not released further details about the flock.

This is only the second HPAI case in a commercial poultry operation in the province in 2026. The previous case was confirmed Jan. 15 in Les Jardins-de-Napierville Regional County Municipality.

To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in the United States and Canada, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com. 

Read our ongoing coverage of the global avian influenza outbreak.


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