On Apr. 30, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a non-commercial, backyard flock (non-poultry) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska.

In Alaska, routine surveillance of wild and domestic birds for avian influenza has occurred for many years with the occasional detection of Low Pathogenic viruses in some wild waterfowl. In 2016, as part of routine surveillance, a wild mallard was found to have Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A(H5N2).

APHIS worked closely with state animal health officials in Alaska on a joint incident response. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the property were depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flock did not enter the food system.