On Nov. 17, 2023, the Oregon Department of Agriculture  has new confirmed cases of avian influenza, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in two commercial poultry operations and two backyard flocks.

The commercial operations were in Linn and Marion County. The backyard flocks are in Deschutes and Marion. Approximately 790,000 birds from the affected flocks were euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease and did not enter the food system.

The USDA reports that 47 states have been affected by HPAI so far, representing about 63 million birds nationally. The HPAI virus strains are extremely infectious and can spread rapidly between flocks. The virus is also potentially fatal to chickens.