HARRISBURG, Pa. — The state Agriculture Department said Monday a positive case of avian flu was found in a Lehigh County poultry flock — the first case in Pennsylvania in 2025.
The department said the positive test of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, came from a 50,000-bird egg-laying chicken flock on a commercial farm.
Officials did not identify the farm by name.
The samples have been sent to a USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory for confirmation.
"Protecting our poultry and dairy industries has been, and continues to be Pennsylvania’s top priority. With this confirmed positive infection in Pennsylvania and confirmed infections in poultry in surrounding states, the threat is clear and heightened."Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding in a release
There is no risk to the general public, according to the Department of Agriculture, because poultry products and eggs are safe to eat if cooked properly.
But HPAI is highly infectious and is generally fatal to domestic birds. No infections in dairy cattle or humans have been detected in Pennsylvania to date.
The department said it activated an action plan in response to the Lehigh County findings.
It said a task force is on the farm "carrying out a comprehensive response plan" by quarantining the farm and all commercial poultry facilities, as well as "restricting the movement of poultry products within a 10-kilometer radius of the infected flock."
"Protecting our poultry and dairy industries has been, and continues to be Pennsylvania’s top priority,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a news release.
“With this confirmed positive infection in Pennsylvania and confirmed infections in poultry in surrounding states, the threat is clear and heightened.
"Vigilant biosecurity on both poultry and dairy farms and on any farm that raises birds is the key to minimizing the spread of the virus."
Area centered round New Tripoli
The state said this is the first confirmed case of avian flu in commercial poultry in Pennsylvania since February 2024. The last detection in domestic birds was in a backyard flock in October 2024 in Venango County.
While details about the farm have not been released, a map by the Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services depicts a bullseye around New Tripoli.
The agriculture department also has its own online dashboard that shows outbreaks in commercial and backyard flocks, but the Lehigh County case has not yet been added to it.
When users click on the red dot, a message pops up on the left side of the screen that says, "ACTION REQUIRED: You are in the Control Infected Zone. Commercial farms are required to test in this zone. Permits are required to travel within this zone if entering or leaving poultry premises."
The infected zone is about three kilometers.
The orange section of the map is the 10-kilometer "Control Buffer Zone" and shows the same message as the Control Infected Zone.
The yellow is the 20-kilometer "Surveillance Zone," which says "Please contact the Dept. of Agriculture for sampling requirements."
When zooming in on the map, the bullseye which depicts the three zones disappears, but some towns can be identified in the zones.
Other zones outlined
In the Control Buffer Zone, those areas include: Schnecksville, Fogelsville, Kempton, Kutztown and Slatington.
Locations in the Surveillance Zone include: Walnutport, Coplay, Allentown, Breinigsville, Kutztown, Kempton, New Ringgold, Lehighton and Slatington.
"While there is no risk to the general public, and poultry products and eggs are safe to eat if cooked properly, HPAI is highly infectious and is generally fatal to domestic birds."Pennsylvania Agriculture Department release
Anyone who suspects their commercial or domestic flocks have been affected or have avian influenza should report potential cases to the Department of Agriculture at 717-772-2852.
Earlier this month, state officials found thousands of snow geese dead from suspected avian flu at two sites in the Lehigh Valley — one each in Lehigh and Northampton counties.
