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(Adobe Stock Photo)

The Indiana State Board of Animal Health said Wednesday that another case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, has been detected at a commercial egg laying operation in Allen County.

Additionally, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced the virus has been confirmed as the cause of death of waterfowl in Gibson County and suspected in more cases in 11 other counties.

The new cases come in addition to three confirmed infections at commercial poultry operations in Jay County earlier this month.

In the Allen County case, the name of the commercial egg production facility was not disclosed. The Board of Animal Health said the operation has just over 26,000 birds, all of which are under quarantine.

The board has set a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) control area and a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) surveillance zone around the affected area. Those zones cover portions of Allen and DeKalb counties.

State and federal officials are conducting additional testing around the affected flocks, the board said Wednesday.

The Jay County cases were reported earlier this month and affected two commercial turkey farms and one commercial egg laying facility. The flocks at each of those locations were depopulated after the positive avian flu cases were confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory.

The Department of Natural Resources said the avian flu death in Gibson County waterfowl was confirmed in December, while the virus is suspected as the cause of death in Allen, Benton, Hamilton, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Pike, Porter, Starke, Tippecanoe, and Vermillion counties over the last six weeks.

Most waterfowl species affected are snow geese and Canada geese, but the DNR said it also noted deaths in mute swans, tundra swans, mallards, American white pelicans, common goldeneyes, and double crested cormorants.

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 month, 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.

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