USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed it found the highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in a backyard mixed-poultry flock in Whitley County, Indiana. The flu strain is different from the HPAI H5N2 virus that has been detected in multiple states throughout the Mississippi flyway. The H5N8 strain had previously only been confirmed in the Pacific flyway.
APHIS is working closely with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health to respond to the finding. State officials quarantined the affected premises and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.