Cases of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza continue to surface. This time, it is in Indiana.
A backyard flock in the Southwestern part of the state was hit, according to caretakers. The flock was quarantined and all birds were culled. State officials are reaching out to other hobby flock owners in the state to offer surveillance testing.
A veterinarian with Iowa State University has some tips for small flock owners as the weather gets warmer and the threat of further spread grows.
“You don’t have to be in a silver fortress, like protecting from everything that potentially could be harmful, but just little things like, did I go to a poultry show? Am I showering and changing my clothes before I handle my poultry? Am I close to anything that potentially, let’s say there’s a pond or some sort of water source that ducks and geese can hang out with, are those close to my poultry? Little things here and there that make sense, that’s practical, are probably the best ways to keep these producers from getting birds infected with High Path,” Dr. Yuko Sato.
To date, nearly 60 million birds have died due to High Pathogenic Avian Flu. The current outbreak began in February of last year and has been detected in 47 states and more than 800 operations.
