H5N1 Bird Flu Devastates US Poultry: 10 Million Birds Lost as Indiana Faces Largest Animal Health Crisis

H5N1 bird flu continues to ravage US poultry flocks, with Indiana reporting over 350,000 birds lost since early March amid the nations largest animal health emergency, according to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health and CIDRAP. DVM360 reports the virus advancing east, impacting roughly 10 million birds nationwide in the past month, including more than 4 million in one state alone from three commercial and one backyard flock outbreaks.

In Pennsylvania, Spotlight PA highlights the state as an epicenter, with over 480 wild bird cases and 16 million domesticated birds affected in four years, six million in the last 30 days. Spring migration fuels the spread, killing snow geese, Canada geese, crows, mallards, hawks, owls, and 48 bald eagles, per USDA data. Indiana officials, led by Under Secretary Dudley Hoskins, urge strict biosecurity to curb lateral transmission risks during migratory season, noting no dairy cattle cases yet but warning of potential spread.

The CDC's latest FluView for week 11, ending March 21 and released March 27, confirms no new human H5N1 infections, with person-to-person transmission undetected. Seasonal flu dominates, but bird flu surveillance remains vigilant.

Elsewhere, University of Michigan and University of Bristol researchers secured a 2 million dollar USDA grant on March 28 to study airborne H5N1 decay and plasma deactivation tech for livestock barns, aiming to cut future losses after 175 million birds culled since 2022.

Cooked poultry, eggs, and pasteurized dairy remain safe.

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