Signs of HPAI in waterfowl include:

• Sudden death

• Neurological impairment (e.g., lack of coordination, swimming in circles, tremors, twisted neck)

• Lack of energy and appetite

• Swelling of the head, neck, and eyes

• Nasal discharge, cough, sneezing, lack of coordination and diarrhea

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends waterfowl hunters wear protective clothing such as facemasks and gloves to process birds and to process birds in a well-ventilated area or outdoors. Meat harvested from waterfowl should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F before consumption.

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. Members of the public should avoid contact with sick waterfowl and other sick wildlife whenever possible. If a carcass must be handled, wear disposable gloves and a mask, and wash hands with soap and water immediately afterward.

Contact your healthcare provider if you come into contact with waterfowl and develop flu-like symptoms, including fever, chills, cough, sore throat with or without conjunctivitis within 10 days of exposure.

Some domestic and agricultural animals also are known to be susceptible to HPAI, including poultry, cattle and cats. If you have these animals at home, be sure to process any harvested waterfowl away from your animals and practice good biosecurity measures.

For information on HPAI, visit on.IN.gov/avian-flu.

For information about poultry biosecurity measures, visit aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/defend-the-flock.

If you see any of your poultry acting sick or find any dead, report it to the Board of Animal Health at IN.gov/boah/species-information/avianbirds/small-flock-and-exhibition-poultry/sick-andor-dead-poultry-questionnaire/.
JACKSON COUNTY — The Indiana State Board of Animal Health confirmed over the weekend the detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as the bird flu, at a commercial egg layer in Jackson County.

Rose Acre Farms CEO Tony Wesner said on Monday afternoon that workers recently began finding dead birds at Cort Acres and sent them to the state to be tested. The birds came back positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HAPI).

“We’re meeting with the state today,” he said Monday. “We know how to handle it. We just have to make sure we’re following all the steps that we are supposed to. It’s a mess and it will take us 18 to 24 months to get back (recover).”

Wesner said the bird flu issue stretches from coast to coast and 30 some million birds have had to be destroyed in the U.S. since October because of it.

“It’s been bad for the country,” he said. “Everybody complains about egg prices. We don’t set egg prices. We’re price takers not price makers so it’s rough.”

The state said the present flock size at Cort Acres, which is quarantined, is 2.8 million. Those birds will have to be destroyed in an effort to stop further spreading. Earlier this month, the state identified a positive test for HPAI at a commercial egg layer in Jay County. That case involved 354,000 bids that were destroyed.

The birds that have to be destroyed will be composted with a procedure set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture, Wesner said.

He said people with backyard flocks should watch for sick birds that back off food and water and act lethargic.

The bird flu likely comes from wild birds infected with the HAPI but often show no signs of illness. They can carry the disease to new areas when migrating, potentially exposing domestic poultry to the virus.

The H5N1 influenza virus has now been identified on more than 1,300 premises in all 50 states since February 2022, according to the news release from the state board of animal health.

Wild birds infected with HPAI have been found from coast to coast in various species, including waterfowl (ducks, swans, geese, gulls, etc.), raptors (hawks and eagles), as well as other common species (American robin, common raven, wild turkey). Many other mammalian species, including humans, dairy cattle and wildlife, have also been diagnosed with the virus.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources also recently confirmed bird flu as the cause of death in waterfowl in Gibson County in December and suspects it as the cause of waterfowl deaths in Allen, Benton, Hamilton, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Pike, Porter, Starke, Tippecanoe and Vermillion counties over the last six weeks.

The recent positive detections of HPAI H5 are part of 98 positive detections across the state in waterfowl since 2022. The state began this testing in waterfowl and raptors in 2022 and increased testing in hunter harvested waterfowl with assistance from the U.S Department of Agriculture. With this increased testing, additional detections of bird flu are to be expected.

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

If you find wild waterfowl that are dead for no obvious reason, or showing any of the following signs, report it online at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife.
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