INDIANAPOLIS – A commercial poultry farm in Jay County lost some 20,000 turkeys in early January to the first positive test for bird flu in Indiana in almost a year.

This happened about a week after close to a million egg laying chickens were euthanized because of infection from the same virus at a commercial poultry operation in nearby Darke County in western Ohio.

Most recently this month, the same virus in Darke County claimed just over 31,000 turkeys at two separate operations and about 4,500 turkeys in Ohio in nearby Mercer County, according to USDA.

Both states have taken similar action to try and prevent a spread. 

“There’s a lot of response going on,” said Denise Derrer Spears, communications director at the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH).

Spears said the infected farm in Jay County had its entire flock euthanized after a test for the H5N1 virus came back positive on Jan. 3.

Ever since, the farm has been working on disposing of the carcasses and undergoing a clean-up and disinfection of its operation expected to last a few more weeks before permission is granted to house more turkeys.

A 10-kilometer control zone encompassing 56 other commercial poultry farms has also been imposed around the infected Jay County operation.

Spears said farms within the zone cannot bring in or ship birds or transport eggs without a negative test and permit from BOAH to guard against human infection from the food supply.

According to USDA, Indiana ranks fourth and Ohio ninth among the states in turkey production while Indiana is also near the top in egg and chicken production.

Ohio is the second leading producer of eggs in the nation and 17th for chicken production, according to the Ohio Poultry Association.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains the risk to the public from the virus is considered low, but has warned against drinking raw milk because H5N1 has been found in cows.

According to USDA, the pasteurization process neutralizes the bird flu virus in store-bought milk.

The CDC recommends cooking eggs, poultry and beef to the appropriate internal temperatures to kill any live bacteria or viruses, including bird flu.

Recently, there have been mounting concerns about the virus, though.

An older man in Louisiana with underlying medical conditions died Jan. 6 from bird flu contracted from contaminated wild birds in his backyard. Over 900 cattle herds in 16 states have been impacted by the virus.

California, for example, declared a state of emergency in December from bird flu infections in its dairy cattle.

So far, Spears said no H5N1 infections have been confirmed in any cattle herds in Indiana.

Spears said there are various strains of the virus but the one circulating now is the strain responsible for the deaths of millions of birds in the U.S. commercial poultry industry since 2022.

She said the primary cause of infection is from migratory wild birds who can spread the virus from contact with their droppings.

Spears said another reason for the heightened concerns is infections surfacing before the start of the spring migrating season when farms are typically most susceptible to contamination.

“That’s why we’re trying to remind poultry producers to be on high alert and be on top of their biosecurity,” she said.

Spears said steps at a farm to guard against infection include wearing clothing and shoes that can stay inside a barn, washing hands and using noise makers like an air cannon to scare wild birds so they land elsewhere.

She said it’s also a good idea to clean and disinfect any equipment coming and going from a farm and close any openings an infected bird can use to get inside a barn.

According to USDA, infected farmers can partially recover their losses by applying for financial assistance at a local Farm Service Agency office.