156K chickens added to list of poultry being euthanized

“This new case of HPAI in IN should serve as reminder to all Louisiana poultry producers that while we haven’t had any cases of the disease in our state the threat remains”.

The Indiana flock appears to have become infected when a less risky form of the virus in the area mutated, said John Clifford, the USDA’s chief veterinarian.

She calls the current bird-flu outbreak one of the worst to strike IN and that containing it could take weeks.

A strain of low-pathogenic AI, low-pathogenic H7N8, was found and confirmed in eight of nine turkey flocks in southern in found to be infected with the disease.

The government went to insane extremes to stop the spread, stockpiling huge amounts of vaccine, killing birds, and quarantining entire farms.

This is the first time a commercial flock in IN has ever received bird flu. So we are hopeful that as we respond very quickly to this virus, that we can get it contained and hopefully not see an extensive outbreak like we did past year. Nearby farms in IN and neighbouring states, including Ohio, Kentucky and IL, were quickly notified of the outbreak, with workers potentially exposed to the AI strain placed under surveillance.

“APHIS has done a tremendous job in the wake of the 2015 outbreaks in working with the USA industry and with the various animal health agencies at the state level to prepare for the avian influenza season this year”.

The avian influenza virus in IN is the H7N8 strain.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, after the flock of turkeys at a Farbest Farms facility in Dubois County experienced higher mortalities, samples from the flock were tested by Farbest Farms.

Cold weather is still posing problems for crews using a suffocating foam to kill the birds, she said, adding that even though water was freezing in hoses, most of the birds have been killed using that foam.

The Indiana farm where the strain was first found is associated with Farbest Farms, a company that produces about 15 million turkeys a year and has contract growers in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. Experts think the total number of birds sickened could be more than 100,000.

Avian influenza (AI) is caused by an influenza type A virus which can infect poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese and guinea fowl) and is carried by free flying waterfowl such as ducks, geese and shorebirds. This outbreak could delay the reopening of some export markets to US poultry products.