WASHINGTON — For the first time since the ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak began in February 2022, presence of the virus has been detected in domestic birds in Louisiana. The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed on Dec. 16 that HPAI was discovered in a non-commercial backyard flock in Bossier Parish, La.

Samples from the flock were tested at the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

Jumping into HPAI response plans, federal and state partners have been working together to provide additional surveillance and testing in areas around the affected flock. APHIS said it will offer appropriate support as requested.

APHIS plans to report this activity to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and to international trading partners. However, WOAH trade guidelines specify that member countries may not impose bans on the international trade of poultry commodities due to disease risks reported in non-poultry like backyard flocks.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the public health risk of HPAI remains low. The agency reported that nearly 124 million birds have been affected since the onset of the outbreak, with HPAI detections in poultry across 49 states. Meanwhile, 853 dairy herds have been affected by the disease and 60 total human cases have been discovered. Of those, one case has been reported in a child recently.