In eastward jump, H5N8 surfaces in Indiana
Robert Roos
CIDRAP News
May 11, 2015
The highly pathogenic H5N8 avian flu virus, previously found in the United States only in the West, has been detected in a backyard poultry flock in Indiana, state and federal officials announced today.
Meanwhile, Minnesota reported today that another turkey farm has been hit by the H5N2 virus. That virus, now widespread in the Midwest, is believed to be an offshoot of H5N8, which migrated to North America from Asia last year.
Indiana discovery
The H5N8 virus was detected in a backyard flock in northeastern Indiana’s Whitley County, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) announced today. The board said state veterinarians collected samples from the flock after the owner reported that several chickens had died.
The flock comprised 77 birds, including ducks, geese, chickens and turkeys, the BOAH said. It said all of the birds were removed from the site to prevent further spread of the disease, and the board is contacting poultry owners in the area to raise awareness and determine if the disease has spread.
The H5N8 virus had previously been found only in the Pacific migratory bird flyway, the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health inspection Service (APHIS) noted in a statement. Indiana lies in the Mississippi flyway.
The virus, which originated in Asia, made its first known US appearance in a captive gyrfalcon in Washington state last December. It was subsequently found in a number of wild birds in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada, in one commercial turkey flock and one commercial chicken flock in California, and in backyard poultry in Oregon.
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