UPDATE: Avian flu control area lifted

The Indiana Board of Animal Health announced Monday that the 12-mile surveillance and control area that surrounded Dubois County during January's avian influenza outbreak has been lifted. Poultry operations and movements have returned to normal.

"We are pleased to be where we are today, just 38 days after HPAI was identified in Dubois County," said Indiana State Veterinarian Bret D. Marsh, DVM. "This is an unprecedented event for the state of Indiana, and the level of cooperation and response at all levels has been incredible. The BOAH team and I are grateful for the hard work of our local, state, federal and industry partners who came together to bring this event to a close."

The control and surveillance areas were lifted according to USDA guidelines after all farms consistently tested negative during the 38-day period. Since the control area was established on Jan. 15, Purdue University's Animal Diagnostic Laboratory has run more than 4,300 avian influenza tests.

Ten farms were affected by this recent outbreak, losing a total of more than 400,000 birds. In the May 2015 outbreak, farms in sixteen states lost a total of 40 million birds. The only case in Indiana at the time was a "backyard (hobby)" farm of 77 birds in Whitley County.

More information about BOAH and avian influenza is available at www.in.gov/boah.