INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana has recorded its first case of bird flu in a commercial flock since December 2022, the state’s Board of Animal Health (BOAH) said Jan. 23.

The most recent case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was found on a Daviess County turkey farm, BOAH said in a release. The agency said 13,071 birds at the farm were destroyed.

“While we are disappointed in having a positive case of HPAI, we are not surprised,” Denise Derrer Spears, BOAH’s public information director, told Farm World. “Many cases have continued to crop up across the country, especially in the last couple of months. It’s been more of a surprise that we have gone more than a year without a case in a commercial flock with all the activity nationally.”

Avian flu has been found on more than 1,000 premises in 47 states since February 2022, BOAH said. It has also been found nationwide in wild birds such as swans, gulls, hawks and eagles.

The last case of HPAI in a commercial flock in the Hoosier state was in December 2022 at a Daviess County turkey farm. Since the first case of HPAI in February 2022, more than 241,000 commercial turkeys and ducks, and non-commercial birds, have been affected in Indiana, according to BOAH. HPAI has been found on 17 premises in eight counties in the state.

“We are hopeful that we will not have further cases,” Spears said. “The Indiana poultry industry is working hard to prevent the disease from entering their farms, with increased awareness of biosecurity. Surveillance has started in the control area around the infected flock, so we are hoping to find no other cases.”

A 10 km control area has been established around the Daviess County flock, BOAH said. The control area, all in Daviess County, includes 45 commercial flocks and 48 hobby/backyard flocks, according to the agency. A 20 km surveillance zone, with 56 commercial flocks, has also been established, and includes parts of Daviess, Martin and Greene counties, BOAH noted.

The current, ongoing HPAI event is the country’s largest animal health emergency in history, BOAH pointed out.

“Indiana poultry producers are keenly aware of the constant threat of HPAI,” Spears said. “This continues to be a difficult and challenging disease to prevent.”

HPAI doesn’t present a food safety risk, BOAH said. The disease presents a low risk to the health of the general public, the agency noted, adding rare human infections are possible.