Indiana now has a sixth confirmed case of avian influenza in a commercial poultry flock. More than 170,000 commercial turkeys in the state have been affected by the virus.
There are quarantine areas set up and poultry owners have been asked to test their birds on a regular basis to ensure their flock is free of the disease.
The case in Indiana follows Iowa’s first reported infection this year. It was found in a backyard flock.
USDA has stepped up surveillance in flyways with multiple states now reporting cases in commercial and backyard flocks. An animal inspector explains why certain areas are being monitored.
According to APHIS’s Koren Custer, “They’re doing that to identify the existence of this Eurasian H5 clade of influenza viruses in North American wild birds that can interact with the various flyways globally with wild birds from Europe and Asia. So, APHIS earlier on this year confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza in several states in the Atlantic flyway and they’ve recently expanded the surveillance to include the Mississippi and Central flyways to increase our capability to track this disease through the United States in these wild birds.”
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is calling for more beagle training, as avian flu continues to spread.
A bipartisan bill would streamline funding at the national center in Georgia, where the “Beagle Brigade” dogs are trained to sniff out banned cargo. It would ensure they always have appropriate funding.
Lawmakers say that it is important to have the dogs, to help stop the spread of threats like HPAI and ASF.
Related:
Delaware confirms HPAI in commercial flock
Michigan receives HPAI confirmation in backyard flock
No market problems from HPAI, according to Secretary Vilsack