After a quiet summer of little activity, H5N1 avian flu has come roaring back on commercial poultry operations across the United States in September, with turkey facilities in Minnesota and the Dakotas particularly hit in recent weeks. 

According to the latest update from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), four poultry facilities, three of which were commercial turkey and duck producers, reported avian flu outbreaks this past week. Two of the turkey outbreaks were in Stearns County, Minnesota, where 77,200 and 31,200 birds were affected, respectively. 

A commercial duck meat breeding operation in Jay County, Indiana, was also hit this week, with 24,300 birds affected. And in Boone County, Iowa, a smaller backyard operation of 140 birds was affected.

In the past 30 days, 14 commercial flocks and seven backyard flocks have confirmed H5N1, affecting a total of 620,000 birds. Minnesota is the national hotspot for avian flu, with eight affected commercial flocks and three affected backyard flocks, resulting in 338,650 birds affected in the last 30 Days. Outbreaks at commercial facilities in North and South Dakota have affected 176,900 birds.

The rolling total of birds affected has been increasing in recent weeks, after a seasonal low in August of 150,000 birds. 

Wild bird detections have also increased, which is typical given migration patterns in the fall. APHIS noted about 40 new wild bird detections since last week, including a dozen Blue winged teal in Barton County, Kansas, that were hunter-harvested. Hancock County, Iowa, also had hunter-harvested detections. 

In international news, Cambodia recorded its sixth human H5N1 avian flu case of 2026. Cambodia has had 40 human cases of H5N1 since 2023. 

The most recent case was a 49-year-old man who remains hospitalized for his infection after testing positive for the virus on September 27. The man worked on a farm and had direct contact with sick poultry. 

Since 2023, most human H5N1 cases in Cambodia have involved a reassortant (2.3.2.1e) between an older H5N1 clade that has circulated in Cambodia since 2014 and the newer clade 2.3.4.4b virus that is circulating globally. These cases have a 40% case-fatality rate.