A new strain of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) that caused the depopulation of more than 48 million birds last year has been detected in Indiana, according to Agri-Pulse.
The new strain—H7N8—was detected in a Dubois County, Ind., commercial turkey flock. Department of Agriculture officials confirmed the detection Friday after testing at the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Purdue University. Most of the detections in the 2015 HPAI outbreak involved the H5N2, H5N8 and H5N1 viruses.
This is the first detection of any strain of HPAI in almost seven months and the first in Indiana in almost eight. According to a release from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the flock has been quarantined and officials have begun depopulating birds at the facility.
Birds from the infected flock will not be allowed in the food system, and there are no known cases of H7N8 infections in humans. As part of a plan to prevent further potential outbreaks, APHIS officials are encouraging poultry farmers to review their biosecurity protocols and take steps to help prevent their flocks from being infected. APHIS is also reminding consumers to fully cook chicken and egg products to kill bacteria and viruses, including HPAI.