On Dec. 19, 2014, in a backyard flock of mixed poultry in southern Oregon, a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 outbreak was recorded. A crushing 180 days later, on June 17, 2015—the date of the last recorded detection—more than 48 million birds were dead as a result of the outbreak.
In a statement before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on July 7, Dr. John R. Clifford, deputy administrator, Veterinary Services, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), said, “Today, we are facing the largest animal health emergency in this country’s history.”