Indiana wildlife experts said that southern migration happened later than normal this year because of the mild weather, but it’s unclear “how much of a factor that has been in this”, according to Indiana Board of Animal Health spokeswoman Denise Derrer, who added, “We hope we can get some more information as we do a little bit of epidemiology down at that site”, she said.
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The farm in question was quarantined, and birds on the premises are being destroyed.
CHICAGO An Indiana turkey flock has been infected with a deadly type of bird flu in the first new case of the disease in U.S. poultry since June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday.
“This is a fairly poultry-dense area”, Myers told reporters. This is a new flu strain and different from the strain that caused the outbreaks a year ago. “There’s no single thing that you can point to that is the one and only factor that explains this”, Myers said.
“Our (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) Preparedness and Response Plan is in place and every flock of chickens in Alabama is tested for avian influenza before it is processed for human consumption”, McMillian said. Economically, the 2015 bird flu epidemic cost an estimated $1 billion, with Minnesota and Iowa the most signficantly affected.
Last year’s H5N2 virus outbreak began spreading widely in the spring, not winter, and led to the deaths of 48 million birds. This H7N8 strain appears to be of North American origin, although officials are testing it now to find out its precise characteristics.
State agriculture officials are keeping a close eye on a confirmed case of avian flu in southern in, weeks after OH lifted a state ban on poultry displays at fairs, auctions and other events.
There are avian influenza vaccines for poultry but Myers says the USA doesn’t have an H7N8 vaccine and says it’s not clear that the ones that exist would match this strain.
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Shares of poultry producers fell in response to the news.
