A new strain of Avian influenza that was present in Europe, only last year, is reported in the southern states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Florida, as well as in Indiana.
It is another highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain. And while the HPAI virus is not easily transmissible from birds to people, there are concerns it could develop into another form that spreads readily from person to person, triggering another pandemic.
Avian influenza (AI) is caused by an influenza type A virus that can infect poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese, and guinea fowl) and is carried by free flying waterfowl such as ducks, geese, and shorebirds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Samples collected by USDA’s Wildlife Services in January from hunter-harvested blue-winged teal in Palm Beach County, FL, tested positive for the HPAI strain: H5N1 2.3.4.4b Eurasian.
The Flordia finding follows reports in the other southern states during the fall and winter months of 2021-22. The strain first appeared in Europe in 2021.
Indiana turkey farm hit with HPAI
On February 9, the USDA confirmed that a turkey farm in Indiana had to euthanize nearly 30,000 turkeys for avian flu, although the state maintains that a food risk is not imminent.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) released a statement on February 10 saying that an undisclosed commercial turkey farm was hit by an H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.
Samples from the affected flock, which experienced increased mortality, were tested at the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. Virus isolation is ongoing, the IndyStar reported.
“This finding is the first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry in the United States since 2020,” the BOAH press release stated. “HPAI was last identified in commercial flocks in Indiana in 2016.”
BOAH has instituted a quarantine at the affected farm and all farms within a 6.2 mile (10 kilometers) radius. The quarantine has affected 18 operations in total and likely a few hundred thousand birds, Denise Derrer Spears, the spokeswoman for BOAH told the IndyStar.
“As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 F (73.8 degrees Celsius) will kill bacteria and viruses,” so safe food handling practices would be enough to kill off the H5N1 virus, according to the USDA.
