WASHINGTON — New reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry flocks have been announced in Alabama and Michigan.

Information from the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries (ADAI) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed that HPAI was found on a commercial broiler farm in Cullman County and in a backyard flock in Pickens County. 

Samples from those flocks were tested and confirmed at the Alabama State Diagnostic Laboratory in Auburn, Ala., which is part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. 

Rick Pate, commissioner for ADAI, and Tony Frazier, DVM, the state veterinarian, published a statement about prevention plans.  

“It is critical for commercial and backyard poultry operations to remain alert and closely monitor the health of their poultry,” Pate and Frazier wrote. “The detection of HPAI in Cullman and Pickens Counties reinforces the need to continue following strict biosecurity measures, including keeping birds enclosed without access to wild birds or other domestic flocks.”

All poultry within 6.2 miles of the commercial site in Cullman will continue to be tested and monitored. 

Earlier this week the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) confirmed with the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory the detection of HPAI at a commercial poultry facility in Ottawa County. 

The state agriculture department said this was the first detection of the disease in a Michigan poultry flock since May 2024. It is the second case in a commercial poultry facility since the disease was detected in 2022.

“As the weather remains cold and HPAI continues to circulate in wild bird populations, conditions are ideal for the virus to thrive and spread,” said Nora Wineland, DVM, state veterinarian for Michigan. “It is critical to prevent the introduction of disease by taking measures such as keeping domestic animals away from wild birds and cleaning and disinfecting equipment between uses.”