Two commercial flocks of birds, both in Jay County, have been diagnosed with bird flu since the beginning of the year.
The first was a turkey flock of 20,000 affected birds. The latest case, reported Wednesday, was a flock of 354,000 egg laying hens.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still categorizes bird flu as a low risk to humans, with most of the 66 human cases in the U.S. coming from direct exposure to affected birds.
Denise Derrer Spears with the state Board of Animal Health said that similar to the first flock, the new case will involve euthanizing the birds and setting up a control zone.
“The facilities will be cleaned, disinfected, and then retested in environmental sampling to make sure that there's no virus present,” she said. “And then at that point, then the producers can restock the farm.”
While bird flu has been widespread throughout the country, Indiana’s commercial flocks have remained relatively safe. In 2024, two flocks, or just over 13,000 birds, were infected with bird flu.
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In Monroe County in September, four wild birds were identified to have the disease.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, the actual number of infected birds is likely higher, as the identified birds are only a small sample of the local population.
“They've reported, I think, just under 100 birds in Indiana since this highly pathogenic flu event started, but again, they're not going to catch every single one of them,” Spears said.
People can help prevent the disease from spreading by washing their hands and being cautious around dead birds. Anyone who works around livestock should have dedicated clothes for the task to lower the risk of cross-contamination.
Flock owners and bird watchers should keep an eye out for symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, goopy eyes and discoloration in their birds. Decreased egg production and food intake are also signs of bird flu.
Sick or dead poultry should be reported at 866-536-7593.
