On Oct. 24, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that two people who had presumptive positive tests run by WA-DOH earlier in the week had tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) after an outbreak at a commercial poultry farm in Franklin County (WA). Confirmatory test results on other samples are pending.

There was no evidence of human-to-human transmission at this time. All the identified infections were among workers who had contact with infected birds or their environments. No patients had experienced severe illness or had been hospitalized.