A positive test for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been found near Fort Wayne in Allen County on a commercial poultry farm. According to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, the farm produces eggs and has a flock size of more than 26,000 birds, which have all been quarantined.
Neither the name, nor the specific location of the farm, were identified by health officials.
This is the fourth outbreak of HPAI on a commercial poultry farm in Indiana since January 3. It’s also the first detection of the virus in Allen County this year. The previous three detections were in Jay County, which is roughly 55 miles south of Allen County. Two of those three farms were turkey production sites, while the other farm was another commercial egg production facility with 354,000 hens.
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.
State health officials have set up a control area within a 10-kilometer (6.2 mile) radius around the farm, which contains portions of Allen and DeKalb counties in Indiana. In addition, the state has set up a surveillance zone with a 20-kilometer (12.4 mile) radius around the farm which also contains portions of Allen and DeKalb counties.
Testing will be done at nearby flocks to determine whether HPAI has spread. USDA Wildlife Services and Indiana Department of Natural Resources are assisting with surveillance of wild birds in and near the control areas.
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.
