Bird flu has turned up at a commercial poultry facility in Pierce County, marking the first detection of the virus at a Washington commercial operation this year. State agriculture officials announced the detection, and the facility is now under quarantine while disease-control measures move forward.
State agriculture officials said the detection is the first at a Washington commercial poultry facility in 2026, according to KOMO News. No human cases have been identified at the facility, and officials describe the risk to the general public as low. The outlet reports that the affected facility is under quarantine and that disease-control measures are already underway.
Eggs from the infected birds will be destroyed and kept out of the food supply, but the Washington State Department of Agriculture says chicken and eggs from other farms remain safe to eat. The agency is not identifying the farm itself, citing state law that the station's report says protects information that could identify a farmer or operation during agricultural emergencies.
Public Health Steps In to Watch Exposed Workers
Public health agencies are monitoring workers who were exposed to the infected birds as a precaution, per the same account. They plan to contact anyone who was around the infected birds, other animals, or their environments to discuss exposure risk, offer medication if needed, and watch for symptoms so testing and treatment can happen quickly.
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Officer Dr. James Jay Miller said public health is focused on preventing worker infections and coordinating testing and treatment should symptoms appear. Workers with job-related exposure to infected animals are advised to follow recommended safety precautions, and anyone handling sick birds should wear protective equipment, per Washington State Veterinarian Dr. Amber Itle.
Nearby Flock Owners Urged to Watch for Warning Signs
Flock owners within six miles of the detection now fall inside a surveillance zone and are encouraged to report their flock's health using the state's online tool, as well as check the surveillance map. Dr. Itle urged flock owners to keep birds away from wild waterfowl or shared environments like ponds, and to call the state's Sick Bird Hotline at 800-606-3056 if birds suddenly become ill or die. The same hotline number doubles as a resource for anyone noticing multiple unexplained deaths in a flock.
The agriculture department is also recommending basic biosecurity steps: keep poultry in coops or covered runs, separate them from other domestic birds and wild waterfowl, store feed in sealed containers, and limit visitors to coops. Owners who find dead birds should keep them double-bagged in a cooler with ice until the state arranges sampling, and keep scavengers away from carcasses in the meantime.
A Virus That Keeps Resurfacing Across the State
Washington has reported bird flu detections since 2022, and highly pathogenic avian influenza continues to circulate among wild and domestic birds statewide. Just last month, the agriculture department confirmed the virus in three backyard flocks in Yakima and Kittitas counties that had been exposed to migratory waterfowl. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has also reported increased deaths among wild migratory birds, which can signal a rising risk to poultry.
People are advised to avoid touching wild birds or other animals even if they appear healthy, and not to touch or move dead wild birds — instead reporting them through the Fish and Wildlife Department's online tool. The Washington Department of Health notes that H5N1, the most widely circulating strain in the country, was first detected in U.S. wild birds in January 2022 and turned up in a Washington backyard flock that May, according to the Washington Department of Health.
The stakes extend beyond poultry barns. Yakima County officials have reported that 33 dairy herds recently tested positive for H5N1, and a Yakima County resident with prior health conditions died from H5N1 after exposure to infected cattle at a dairy, according to the Los Angeles Times. A different Washington resident died from a rarer strain, H5N5, in November 2025, the paper reported. Nationally, more than 70 human bird flu infections have been reported in the United States since the beginning of 2024, per the same report, which cited the CDC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes A(H5) bird flu as widespread in wild birds worldwide, driving outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with sporadic human cases among dairy and poultry workers, while characterizing the current public health risk as low. Washington's own history includes a prior scare at a large commercial poultry facility in October 2025, when the Washington State Department of Agriculture said the initial report of sick birds reached state veterinarians on Oct. 7 of that year, with test results later confirming the cases.
