Officials suspect wild migrating birds are likely to blame for the first known infection of a flock in Hawaii, which had been the last state in the country with no reported cases in poultry or wild birds during the current outbreak.

The outbreak is Hawaii's first and appears to be part of a surge in poultry outbreaks in US states that are along the Pacific flyway, where wild birds are migrating south. Hawaii's outbreak also prompted an alert from the state's health department about potential exposure at a pet fair that included birds from the affected flock.

The United States Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of bird flu in Hawaii on Monday, the first case of the virus in a domestic flock in the state since the current outbreak began in 2022.

The United States Department of Agriculture has confirmed the presence of bird flu in Honolulu County, Hawaii, the first of its kind in the state during this outbreak, which began in 2022. (Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru;