Why we’re seeing more Bird Flu infections earlier
According to the USDA-APHIS dashboard , there have been 36 commercial flocks of poultry infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the past 30 days. Including backyard flocks, it totals more than 1.8 million birds.
Rebecca Eifert Joniskan, president of the Indiana State Poultry Association, says the disease has arrived earlier than “usual” as wild birds spread the virus with their seasonal migration patterns.
“We typically don’t see avian influenza until January or February,” she says. “This year we started October 9.”
Matt Makens of Makens Weather says weather patterns play a role in bird movement, and therefore virus transmission.
“In winters like this. our temperatures will be very volatile. There’ll be swings of very, very warm days. And then very, very cold days. And I think there is a connection to bird flu spread in those warmer periods,” he says.
Indiana is a poultry powerhouse for commercial production, ranking No. 1 in duck (60% of the U.S. duck produced), No. 3 in eggs, No. 4 in turkey, and a large-scale epicenter for broiler production as well.
While HPAI has been a renewed biosecurity concern for poultry since Feb. 2022, the infection has set into a seasonal pattern—creating some predictability. However, the early onset of birds being infected this fall has Joniskan and industry members concerned a long and difficult season is ahead.
“Typically, it fades over the summer. The virus burns itself out with birds in the Arctic,” she says. “That hasn’t been happening. The virus isn’t following the rules. It’s back, and it’s early.”
The first infections in Indiana were in northern countries and affected ducks and free-range egg layers. Currently, Indiana has the most reports of HPAI infection in commercial and backyard flocks for the past 30 days.
States reporting recent infections in commercial flocks are: California, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The past decade has brought an increased focus on biosecurity and disease prevention.
“When we had avian influenza in 2015 and 2016, there were a lot of learnings on how to reduce the risk of introduction of the virus on your farm,” she explains. “There were changes put in place, including annual biosecurity reviews.”
She says poultry producers in Indiana have taken the virus risk seriously and are actively preventing its introduction while also being ready to respond to it.
“Our companies across the state have taken the learning from ‘15/’16 and what we’ve learned since 2022, and they’ve doubled down to try to reduce any opportunity for introduction wherever they can. It’s difficult, but it’s less expensive and trying than the dealing with an infection,” she says.
Once a flock is infected, the birds don’t recover from the virus, and depopulation is the end result.
At a minimum, poultry flock owners should follow the biosecurity steps on their farms to prevent the spread of the disease. Those steps include:
Limit, monitor, and record any movement of people, vehicles, or animals on or off your farm.
Permit only essential workers and vehicles to enter the farm to limit the chances of bringing the virus from an outside source.
Avoid visiting other poultry farms and any unnecessary travel off the farm.
Disinfect equipment, vehicles, footwear, and other items that come into contact with flocks.
Keep your flock away from wild or migratory birds, especially waterfowl.
Isolate any ill animals and contact your veterinarian.
In addition to practicing good biosecurity, all bird owners should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds. Louisiana bird owners should report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to state and federal officials through USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593. In Louisiana, poultry owners can report to the USDA number or directly to the LDAF Diagnostic Lab at 1-318-927-3441.
Additional information on biosecurity for backyard flocks can be found below: