Low pathogenic avian influenza is occasionally seen in domestic poultry flocks in the United States but it is not considered a threat to human health. However, the U.S. has experienced three highly pathogenic avian influenza virus outbreaks:
YEAR LOCATION STRAIN
1924 / East Coast / Unknown
1983-84/ Northeast / H5N2
2004 / South / H5N2
The 1924 outbreak was simply referred to as Fowl Plague because AI virus classification was not yet available at that time. The 1983-84 outbreak resulted in the death and/or culling of 17 million birds in 449 farms and cost $63M to eradicate. The 2004 outbreak was confined to one non-commercial farm and two live poultry markets for a total loss of 6600 birds. In all cases, and with cooperation from federal, state, local, and industry representatives, the disease was eradicated with no serious consequences to human health.
For additional resources and information please visit:
Major Avian Influenza Outbreaks in Poultry
The History of Avian Influenza