USDA Reports New H5N1 Detections in Poultry and Dairy Cattle
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has reported several new detections of H5N1 avian flu in commercial poultry and dairy cattle. The cases were reported this week after the agency had issued no updates for almost a month, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
Three dairy herds were confirmed to be infected during the latest 30-day period. Texas accounted for two of those herds, while Utah reported the other. The newly confirmed cases bring the number of cattle herds with H5N1 infections recorded so far this year to 85.
The 2026 total is below the number of herd outbreaks tracked in the two preceding years. There were 171 confirmed herd outbreaks in 2025 and 917 in 2024, when H5N1 was first detected in cattle. The figures cited by the source refer to confirmed infections in cattle herds.
Poultry detections included a large outbreak among commercial breeding operations in Edmunds County, South Dakota. The outbreak affected 29,700 birds. South Dakota also reported a smaller outbreak in Brule County involving 2,800 birds.
Idaho confirmed two further outbreaks in Ada and Canyon counties. Across the country, APHIS confirmed outbreaks in two commercial flocks and three backyard flocks during the past 30 days. The source did not provide additional figures for the affected birds in the Idaho cases or for the backyard flocks.
