USDA labs are testing to see the strain of H7N8 confirmed at the nine in farms. Test results on viral samples taken from the ninth farm are still pending.
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USDA Chief Veterinarian John Clifford said swift action helped control the highly pathogenic flock. This strain of avian flu is different than the one that devastated the egg and turkey industries in the USA past year. Five of the affected 10 commercial turkey flocks, all in Dubois County, have been depopulated while efforts continue despite the cold weather.
Nearby farms in IN and neighbouring states, including Ohio, Kentucky and IL, were quickly notified of the outbreak, with workers potentially exposed to the AI strain placed under surveillance.
Avian influenza (AI) is caused by an influenza type A virus which can infect poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese and guinea fowl) and is carried by free flying waterfowl such as ducks, geese and shorebirds. “Nor does it change our resolve to eliminate this virus wherever we find it”.
The US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service revealed on 15 January that the strain had been identified as H7N8 – different to the strains that led to the death of nearly 50 million chickens and turkeys in the first half of 2015.
US negotiators have worked with trading partners in the past year to focus restrictions on infected counties or states, instead of blocking shipments from the entire country, said Toby Moore, spokesman for the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stressing that the risk of H7N8 to humans is very low; in fact, it is not ever infected people.
Federal animal health officials and their IN counterparts are still investigating how the virus arrived. Experts think the total number of birds sickened could be more than 100,000. Research shows wild birds’ northern migration introduced the H5N2 strain starting last spring, but officials don’t know whether the fall and winter migration are to blame in Indiana.
“We’re trying to minimize any further growth of this, because there’s so many producers in that area and it’s a big, big industry for our state”, said Sen.
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IN – the most easterly of all affected states, had just one case previous year, in a backyard flock of 30 birds.
