The devastating Indiana bird flu outbreak that resumed this month appears to be spreading to additional commercial egg producers in the northeast corner of the state.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) recently quarantined 43,753 egg-producing chickens in LaGrange County due to suspected infection by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu.
That's on top of the 19,570 egg-producing chickens BOAH depopulated in LaGrange County last week after testing positive for bird flu, records show.
These are the first bird flu infections at Indiana commercial egg producers since March. A widespread HPAI outbreak in Indiana during the first three months of the year required the destruction of more than 8 million chickens and caused the price of eggs to soar.
Earlier this month, BOAH depopulated 22,621 ducks at five producers in two northeast Indiana counties, including LaGrange, after they tested positive for bird flu. Indiana typically leads the nation in commercial duck production.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asserts the public health risk for HPAI is low. It's possible for humans to contract HPAI, though no cases have been confirmed in Indiana, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
Bird flu does not present a food safety risk. BOAH says cooked poultry and eggs and pasteurized dairy products are safe to eat.
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