Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Hits Jay County for Third Time in Two Weeks

A day after a second case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was identified on a commercial poultry farm in Jay County by the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, a third case in two weeks was identified.

According to BOAH, a commercial turkey farm in Jay County with a flock size over 18,000 has been quarantined following the latest detection. This comes after over 20,000 turkeys were depopulated last week following the confirmed positive test by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory.

The second case involved a commercial egg production facility with 354,000 hens.

Since HPAI was first identified on a commercial poultry farm in DuBois County, Indiana in February 2022, it has affected 243,841 commercial turkeys, 17,703 commercial ducks, and 527 non-commercial poultry.

Federal officials with USDA add that Avian influenza does not present a food safety risk, and that cooked poultry and eggs and pasteurized dairy products remain safe to eat.

Lactating dairy cattle must have a negative test before interstate movement under a federal order. USDA has expanded surveillance through testing milk at the farm or processor level to establish the health status of herds, as well as states.

Indiana ranks fourth in the nation in turkey production according to the USDA. The state also ranks first in the U.S. for duck production, and third for egg production. Indiana’s poultry industry directly employs more than 12,700 Hoosiers and contributes more than $18.3 billion in total economic activity to the state.