2022 avian influenza outbreak hits 12th flock in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A flock of about 100 birds in the Fort Wayne area is the latest with avian influenza, testing determined on Thursday.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health says the Allen County flock’s owner noticed an unexplained death of eight birds in less than 24 hours and called the federal Health Birds Hotline. The flock is a commercial poultry operation that supplies eggs for some households, state officials say. The announcement from the Board of Animal Health did not say what type of birds are involved. A quarantine has been been put in place around the Allen County operation. Other nearby flocks will be tested.
The flock is the second in Allen County and the 12th in Indiana to record positive tests for bird flu this year. The 2022 bird flu outbreak is Indiana’s largest in years, part of the worst outbreak in the United States since 2015.
Rising prices for eggs has been one effect of the outbreak, although avian influenza does not pose a food safety risk.
Here’s data on bird flu outbreaks so far this year in Indiana:
- DuBois and Greene counties in southern Indiana: six commercial turkey flocks. A total of 171,224 birds in the flocks were euthanized.
- Elkhart County in northern Indiana: three commercial duck flocks. A total of 17,179 birds in the flocks were euthanized.
- Johnson County: a hobby flock of chickens, ducks and peafowl. Remaining birds in the flock were euthanized.
- Allen County: two hobby flocks of an undisclosed type of bird. Remaining birds in the flocks were euthanized.
In addition on Thursday, the Board of Animal Health revealed additional wild birds with avian influenza. Of 300 wild birds tested in Indiana, positive results have been found in two bald eagles, two red-tailed hawks, a redhead duck, two great-horned owls, and a double-crested cormorant.
On April 28, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first case of a person with avian influenza.
The USDA’s Healthy Birds Hotline is 866-536-7593.