Rapid Rise to 76,210 Infected Birds in Six Days The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) estimates that 76,210 birds have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza during the first six days of 2026, adding to roughly 880,000 infections recorded over the preceding 30 days [1][2]. The agency posted these totals on its disease‑tracking pages as part of ongoing outbreak surveillance. The figures extend a pattern of widespread detections that began with large late‑2025 events.

Large Commercial Operations Account for Bulk of New Cases The surge stems primarily from five large facilities: 34,600 game birds at a Butte County, California farm; 15,700 game birds in Anderson County, Kansas; 14,000 turkeys at a Sampson County, North Carolina plant; 6,000 poultry at a Texas County, Missouri operation; and 4,600 game birds in Nemaha County, Kansas [1][2]. These sites together represent the majority of the new domestic‑flock infections. State and industry responders are concentrating containment efforts on these high‑density locations.

Separate Database Tracks Wild‑Bird Detections and Recent Die‑offs APHIS maintains a distinct database for wild‑bird cases, so the commercial totals exclude those findings [1][2]. Late‑2025 wild‑bird die‑offs linked to the virus included about 200 Canada geese in Iowa and more than a dozen swans at Orlando’s Lake Eola Park, both confirmed by state wildlife agencies. The separation underscores differing transmission dynamics and surveillance methods between wild and domestic birds.

APHIS Coordinates Surveillance and Highlights National Poultry Scale The agency is collaborating with state animal‑health officials to monitor commercial, backyard, and wild birds nationwide [1][2]. It contextualizes the outbreak by noting over 378.5 million egg‑laying chickens in the United States, 9.4 billion broiler chickens processed in 2023, and 218 million turkeys processed the same year. These numbers illustrate why large‑scale infections could affect national poultry supply chains.