This is Quiet Please bringing you the latest on the ongoing bird flu outbreak as of October 19, 2025. In the United States, the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, known commonly as H5N1, continues to impact both commercial and backyard flocks, particularly as cooler fall weather and wild bird migration increase risk.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed a new case in a backyard flock in Ottawa County just two days ago—this marks the ninth instance in that county since 2022 and the fourth this year alone. Officials stress the importance of strict biosecurity, like keeping poultry indoors, disinfecting boots, avoiding shared equipment, and immediately reporting unusual sickness or deaths in birds. The CDC maintains that the risk to public health remains low but reminds people to always handle and cook poultry and eggs thoroughly.
Across the country, similar alerts are being issued. According to expertise from Virginia Tech, with more migratory birds arriving, the chance of new outbreaks increases further. While only one new farm outbreak was reported in Virginia recently, experts warn that this persistent strain is breaking prior seasonal patterns and could prove especially challenging for poultry farmers in the coming weeks.
Looking at wild bird populations, some encouraging news: All About Birds, drawing on ongoing USDA surveillance, points out that songbirds and most backyard feeder visitors remain at low risk, with the virus primarily affecting waterfowl, raptors, and domestic poultry. As of mid-October, there have been over 13,500 detections in wild birds since 2022. Concern remains, however, about the virus’s endurance and its sporadic spillover into some mammal species.
Nationally, commercial poultry farms are bracing for impact. According to Watt Poultry, significant outbreaks were confirmed just days ago in commercial turkey flocks in Minnesota—affecting over 150,000 birds in separate incidents—and new cases are also being tracked in Utah and even in British Columbia, Canada.
Globally, the virus continues to circulate, though the United States and Canada remain among the hardest hit in recent months. Authorities urge poultry owners everywhere to maintain biosecurity and keep up to date with the latest guidance from their local agriculture departments.
Thanks for tuning in to this update. Come back next week for more crucial news on this and other stories. This has been a Quiet Please production, and for more, check out QuietPlease.AI.
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