Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) | UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Detections and Updates

USDA detections of HPAI
CDFA HPAI updates
Track 2022-2025 avian influenza outbreaks
Letter from the California Department of Public Health regarding poultry industry Influenza vaccinations
- CDPH encourages on-site flu vaccinations as influenza season begins

Important Updates from the California Department of Food and Agriculture

A letter to California backyard poultry owners on Bird Flu (aka Avian Influenza)

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has issued a letter outlining the Bird Flu outbreak, the poultry and dairy cattle exhibition ban, clinical signs, wild bird encounter guidelines, human exposure precautions, and biosecurity recommendations.

California Poultry and Dairy Cattle Exhibition Ban

The California State Veterinarian has placed a ban on poultry and dairy cattle exhibitions at fairs and shows until further notice. The full letter is available in English, Spanish, and Hmong.

**Example of twisted neck (PC: Pamela Hullinger).**

Have sick birds?

Please monitor your birds for the following symptoms:

Trouble breathing
Clear, runny discharge from nose, mouth, and eyes
Lethargy or lack of energy
Loss of appetite
Drinking less
Swollen eyes, head, wattles, or combs
Discolored or bruised comb, wattles, or legs
Stumbling, falling, or twisted neck
Sudden death

Please report any unusual or suspicious sick or dead domestic, pet or collection of birds, to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Sick Bird Hotline at (866) 922-2473.

Any suspicious wild bird deaths can be reported to California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) with this form.

Bird Flu & Public Health

California Department of Public Health
The California Department of Public Health provides detailed information about influenza in animals on its dedicated website. Additionally, an educational flyer on worker protection from Bird Flu is available in English and Spanish, outlining preventive measures, symptoms, and the importance of reporting suspected cases to help mitigate the spread of the virus.

$10M CDC flu initiative focuses on livestock workers

The CDC will fund seasonal flu vaccinations for workers in the poultry and dairy industries in an effort to prevent H5N1 from mixing with other influenza A viruses and reassorting into a new strain. The initiative does not include offering H5N1 vaccines to people. The agency is also allocating $5 million to educate livestock industry workers about influenza and teach them how to protect themselves from avian influenza. Full Story: CDC will offer seasonal flu shots to farmworkers to lower bird flu risk

HPAI Maps

Check out this new Wild Bird Avian Influenza Surveillance Dashboard by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Please note, the dashboard only displays results from samples collected as part of the USDA WS National Wildlife Disease Program's wild bird surveillance program.

A team from UC Davis and UC ANR has created an interactive map showing the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) among wildlife and domestic animals over two years, from North to South America.

North American data includes both domestic and wild animals, while South American data only covers wildlife. Inconsistencies in South American wildlife data arise from varied surveillance and some countries stopping reports of HPAI H5N1 cases to WAHIS/WOAH since late 2023.

The maps below were created by our lab also using data from USDA and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). In other words, these maps include both domestic and wild bird cases.

2022-2023 HPAI US