Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 1/15/16

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H7N8 avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial turkey flock in Dubois County, Ind., the agency said in a news release.

This is a different strain of HPAI than the strains that caused the 2015 outbreak. There are no known cases of H7N8 infections in humans.

Samples from the turkey flock, which experienced increased mortality, were tested at the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University, which is a part of USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed by USDA Friday morning.

State officials quarantined the affected premises and depopulation of birds on the premises has already begun. Birds from the flock will not enter the food system.

As part of existing avian influenza response plans, federal and state partners are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in the nearby area.

Since the previous HPAI detections in 2015, APHIS and its state and industry partners said they have learned valuable lessons. In September, APHIS published a HPAI Fall Preparedness and Response Plan that captures the results of this planning effort, organizing information on preparatory activities, policy decisions and updated strategy documents.

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