News brief
September 24, 2026
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recorded eight new H5N1 avian flu outbreaks among commercial poultry, backyard flocks, and commercial turkey operations, with six of the outbreaks reported in Minnesota, while a new study reports H5 avian flu in polar bears in Alaska.
Montana and Wisconsin each reported a single poultry outbreak.
The largest outbreak was in Barron County, Wisconsin, with 79,100 affected birds at a commercial turkey meat operation. A total of 51,500 birds were sickened in two separate outbreaks at commercial turkey facilities in Stearns County, Minnesota.
In the past 30 days H5N1 avian flu has been confirmed in 20 flocks, including 13 commercial farms and seven backyard flocks. A total of 560,000 birds have been affected.
Minnesota also reported at least 40 wild-bird H5N1 avian flu detections in the past 10 days, most in the seven-county Minneapolos-St. Paul metro area. Mallards, Canada geese, and three bald eagles are among the wild birds.
Avian flu in Alaskan polar bears
In other news, a report this week in Science Direct notes that three dead polar bears in Alaska were infected with highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza (HPAIV) clade 2.3.4.4b viruses in 2023 and 2024.
“These data indicate that HPAIV infection may represent an emerging threat to polar bear health within the Alaska Arctic; though, population immunity seems to be building and may protect this species from widespread demographic impacts of disease,” the authors said.
H5N1 avian flu activity picking up in Minnesota as study notes virus in polar bears | CIDRAP
