Colorado Declares State of Emergency Due to Avian Influenza Outbreak

On Thursday, Colorado’s Lieutenant Governor Diane Primavera announced a state of disaster emergency in response to a significant outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Weld County, situated north of Denver.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) reported to local news outlets that they had received information about a presumptive positive test for HPAI at a facility in the county. This particular facility, which houses approximately 1.3 million chickens, is currently experiencing “elevated mortality,” prompting them to test deceased chickens.

Exact numbers regarding the potential infection rate among the birds remain uncertain. Concerns are rising, as HPAI was first detected in the U.S. back in February 2022, impacting both wild birds and poultry.

Interestingly, a previous outbreak had occurred in Weld County back in July 2024, affecting nearly 3.4 million chickens across three commercial poultry operations. The name of the company involved isn’t disclosed, but one site was reported to house over 1.3 million chickens. I mean, can you imagine the scale?

The declaration activates the State Emergency Operations Plan. This essentially means the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) can take measures to aid in recovery and support affected areas. It allows for the mobilization of state resources to address the outbreak, including emergency funds and procurement procedures, which seems reasonable given the situation.

It’s worth noting that Primavera made the declaration while temporarily serving as governor; Jared Polis was in Washington, D.C., for an unrelated conference at the time. The governor’s office indicated that the decision was made in collaboration with him.