On Mar. 17, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed (APHIS) the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a non-commercial backyard flock (non-poultry) in Rockingham County, New Hampshire. Samples from the flock were confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa.

This was the first confirmed diagnosis of HPAI in domestic birds in New Hampshire, although cases had recently been found in Maine, Connecticut and New York, among other states. NH state animal health officials were working closely with APHIS in response. The property was quarantined and birds from the flock euthanized consistent with practices in the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. The birds will not enter the food system.

Avian influenza does not present a food safety risk; poultry and eggs are safe to eat when handled and cooked properly. No cases of this particular strain of the avian influenza virus have been detected in humans in the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recent detections of this strain of influenza in birds in New England and other states present a low risk to the public.