Avian flu reported in two more Indiana counties
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Cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, continue to grow as the virus has been detected in two more Indiana counties.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health this week reported cases of avian flu at a commercial duck farm in Elkhart County and a commercial turkey farm in Washington County.
In Elkhart County, the case involves a flock of nearly 4,200 birds. A 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) control area and a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) surveillance zone have been put in place, covering portions of Elkhart, LaGrange, and St. Joseph counties.
The case in Washington County is the second in less than a week involving a commercial turkey farm. The first was reported on Feb. 14 involving just over 14,000 birds. The operation has since been depopulated.
The new case involves approximately 19,400 birds. A similar control area and surveillance zone have been implemented, covering portions of Washington, Clark, Jackson and Scott counties, the Board of Animal Health said.
The new cases bring the total number of avian flu reports in 2025 to 14. All previous cases have resulted in the affected flocks being depopulated.
Darrin Karcher, a poultry extension specialist and associate professor of animal science at Purdue University, told Inside INdiana Business earlier this month that the virus is most likely spread through the droppings of infected water fowl (like geese and ducks), which get into enclosures of commercial flocks.
“We have made vast strides in having better biosecurity, doing more things to stop the spread. However, it’s continuing to get into flocks and we see the outcome,” Karcher said. “It’s just frustrating; no one can say definitively that’s how it’s getting in, because it just seems to be like random chance that you are impacted.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the public health risk for HPAI is low. However, it is possible for humans to contract HPAI. The DNR said members of the public should avoid contact with sick waterfowl and other sick wildlife whenever possible.
Prior to this year, the last instance of a positive test for avian flu was Feb. 23, 2024, in a non-commercial turkey flock in Allen County. The board said HPAI has been identified on more than 1,300 premises in all 50 states—including several in Indiana—since February 2022.