I'm afraid it's here, folks. We have one of the two strains of high pathogenicity AI in Whitley County. It's not the H5N2 which has been growing daily in and around Minnesota and surrounding states. It's H5N8, which previously was only found on the West Coast.
The way these strains are spreading is turning out to be puzzling. The current theory is that yes, it is predominantly spread through infected wild goose and duck poop, but that once on the ground, the particles are traveling airborne attached to dust particles and being windblown from farm to farm. Plus, of course, contaminated equipment and people could do it, too, but I think that's been so well handled that it's unlikely to be the cause of the spread.
I don't know who is in Whitley County on the list, but if you have not prepared before, you had better get to it quick! You can't stop the wind, though in commercial facilities they are talking about using their ventilation systems to perhaps help slow the spread. We all had better hope to get hot weather back soon, because AI thrives in cool, wet conditions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON, May 11, 2015 -- The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza (HPAI) in a backyard mixed-poultry flock in Whitley County, Indiana. While there have been multiple detections of HPAI H5N2 in the Mississippi flyway, this is the first finding of HPAI H5N8 in the Mississippi flyway, which previously had only been confirmed in the Pacific flyway. CDC considers the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low. No human infections with the virus have been detected at this time.
Samples from the flock, which experienced increased mortality, were tested at the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa confirmed the findings. APHIS is working closely with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health to respond to the finding. State officials quarantined the affected premises and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.
As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F kills bacteria and viruses.
As part of existing avian influenza response plans, Federal and State partners are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in the nearby area. The United States has the strongest AI surveillance program in the world, and USDA is working with its partners to actively look for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations.
USDA will include this information in routine updates to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and will notify international trading partners of this finding as appropriate. OIE trade guidelines call on countries to base trade restrictions on sound science and, whenever possible, limit restrictions to those animals and animal products within a defined region that pose a risk of spreading disease of concern.
These virus strains can travel in wild birds without them appearing sick. People should avoid contact with sick/dead poultry or wildlife. If contact occurs, wash your hands with soap and water and change clothing before having any contact with healthy domestic poultry and birds.
All bird owners, whether commercial producers or backyard enthusiasts, should continue to practice good biosecurity, prevent contact between their birds and wild birds, and report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to State/Federal officials, either through their state veterinarian or through USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593. Additional information on biosecurity for backyard flocks can be found at
http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov.
