On Jan. 13, 2025, the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a non-commercial mixed backyard flock (non-poultry) in Brazoria County, Texas. This is the first confirmed case of HPAI in Texas this year.

Following a number of rapid bird deaths in the flock, samples were tested at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa on January 9, 2024.

The TAHC is working closely with federal animal health officials on a joint incident response. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and as part of existing avian influenza response plans, federal and state partners are working jointly to conduct surveillance in areas around the affected flock.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the public health risk associated with these avian influenza detections remains low.