Avian flu outbreaks expanded in six already-affected states, especially in the Midwest, according to the latest announcements from federal and state health officials.

Also, Canada reported two outbreaks on Ontario farms, the first since the virus struck flocks in eastern provinces earlier this year.

Commercial farms, backyard birds affected

The highly pathogenic Eurasian H5N1 strain continues to affect both commercial operations and small backyard holdings. In the latest developments, Minnesota and South Dakota both reported new outbreaks in commercial poultry.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) reported two more outbreaks involving turkey producers, raising the state's overall outbreak total to six. One of the new outbreaks struck a farm in Kandiyohi County, about 67 miles west of the Twin Cities, housing 40,000 turkeys, and the other involved a farm in Lac Qui Parle County in Minnesota that has 23,000 turkeys.

South Dakota confirmed 5 more outbreaks, bringing its total to 17, according to an update from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Four occurred at commercial turkey farms in three counties: Clark, Hutchinson, and McPherson, all in the eastern half of the state. Taken together, the farms have 171,200 birds.

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