BOAH: Depopulation of Over 35,000 Turkeys In Dubois County Underway, Cause for Concern is Real

By Kris Norton

Dubois Co. – A third Dubois County farm has reported a positive test of avian influenza, leading to the depopulation of nearly 36,000 turkeys.

In Dubois and Greene Counties, five individual sites have seen a total of 154,781 birds depopulated in the month of February.

Indiana State Board of Animal Health Public Information Director  Denise Derrer Spears says that this year has been unusual and the cause for concern is very real.

“We’re always very concerned about highly-pathogenic Avian Influenza every year, it can get in the environment,” Spears said. “This year has been unusual compared to what we’ve had in recent history, so, we’re just really concerned that it’s out in the environment…It’s a tough disease and it’s hard to prevent.”

In a Wednesday morning update from the Board of Animal Health, officials say that laboratory testing of a commercial flock of turkeys in Dubois County has identified H5 avian influenza virus. This is considered a presumptive-positive case, and samples are being verified at the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Iowa.

Depopulation efforts are underway on the premises, which houses 35,908 birds. 

The newest location, known as Dubois3, is located 2.5 miles from the initial Dubois County positive back on February 9^th. A fifth 10-kilometer control circle has been established from a point originating in Dubois County.

Officials do not plan to release a map of the control circles to avoid singling out specific farms.

Though, Spears says, controlling Avian Influenza can be difficult to do once it’s out into the environment, the Board of Animal Health is preaching biosecurity to stem the tide of the spread.

“Biosecurity is [at the] top of the list and that includes limiting visitors to the barns on the properties, trying to make sure that anyone who goes into the facility is wearing clean shoes, boots, clothing, and not wearing attire out into the community or other locations,” Spears said. “Just trying to manage as much as possible – it’s just really hard to do when it’s out in the environment.”

Though affected farmers may never know exactly which type of bird infected their turkey farms – or when – Spears says that wild ducks and geese are the most likely culprits.

“Wild birds, particularly ducks and geese, can get the disease but they’re still healthy enough to fly around and therefore they’re flying around and shedding it,” Spears said. “This time of year the activity is particularly high [in] late winter, early spring because birds are starting their migration pattern. They’re flying different places, they’re co-mingling with each other which could spread it to other birds when they’re landing in common sites.”

The Board of Animal Health urges farmers, including hobby owners to reach out to the BOAH to report unexplained sickness or death within their flocks.

Testing of flocks can be set up by dialing the USDA Healthy Birds Hotline at 866-536-7593.

Callers will be routed to a state or federal veterinarian in Indiana for a case assessment. Dead birds should be double-bagged and refrigerated for possible testing.

The Board of Animal Health stresses that there is no threat to consumers of turkey products.