Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 1/20/16


The fallout from the recent avian influenza outbreak in Indiana now includes more than 400,000 turkeys and chickens culled, concerns in nearby Kentucky and a limited ban on U.S. poultry by Canada.

More than 413,000 birds in Indiana have been “depopulated” since the outbreak was discovered in Dubois County late last week, with the bulk of the affected birds being commercial turkeys, according to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. The agency reported that the H7N8 has been confirmed at eight of 10 farms tested in the area, and 156,000 commercial layers were culled at one property that tested negative for any of the strains of H7 because of the farm’s proximity to infected turkeys.

Meanwhile, poultry farmers in Kentucky are on high alert in an effort to avoid avian influenza infections after H7N9 was found in a duck harvested by a hunter in Lyon County, Ky., this month, according to a report from Western Kentucky University’s public radio station, WKU. An official at the Kentucky Poultry Federation told the station that biosecurity measures are on the highest alert levels in part because of the situation in nearby Dubois County in Indiana. So far, no cases of avian influenza of any sort have been confirmed in commercial poultry farms in Kentucky, the official added.

Canadian officials also have expanded the list of banned poultry to include Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota in the wake of avian influenza outbreaks in those states. All raw poultry and poultry products from those states that are not fully cooked cannot be brought into Canada, according to new rules from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CIFA). The agency said the limitations will be in place until further notice, adding that there is no food safety risk associated with the products.

Finally, there are indications that the H7N8 strain of avian influenza is a North American lineage virus, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. USDA has confirmed that the initial farm was infected by highly pathogenic H7N8 and that eight of the nine additional farms were positive for low pathogenic H7N8 as test continued on the ninth added property. H7 strains have the capability of mutating into highly pathogenic strains and efforts include containing the spread of low pathogenic H7 to limit opportunities to mutate into the high pathogenic version.

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