In the U.S., 58.2 million birds in 47 states have been affected by the ongoing avian flu outbreak, according to the latest data released by USDA.

The data collected by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) as of Jan. 27 shows 312 commercial flocks have been affected.

Iowa, a leading egg and poultry producing state, remains the state with the highest numbers at 15.9 million birds, including 25 commercial flocks and six affected backyard flocks. It is followed by Nebraska and Colorado. 

In this case, “affected” does not mean all the birds had the disease — every bird in a facility with a known case is considered “affected” under the USDA’s definition.

In June 2022, APHIS reported more than 40 million birds had been affected. 

In February 2022, the USDA reported that the virus reached a commercial flock in Indiana, the first confirmed case in the United States since 2020.

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In addition to her work at Investigate Midwest, Behnke is an adjunct faculty member at Simpson College and the student newspaper faculty adviser at Wartburg College, both in Iowa. Previously, she has been...

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