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Preparing for avian flu this fall

 

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The poultry industry and USDA are preparing for another flare up of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) this fall.

Dr. Marianne Ash, director of animal health programs for the Indiana Board of Animal Health says the last reported case was in Iowa in June.  “There’s a great concern we might get a reintroduction of these viruses when these birds travel south in the very near future,” she says.

Even though there have been no new outbreaks – Ash says the poultry industry is still facing challenges.  “We still have huge restrictions in getting these export restrictions removed,” she says.  “Iowa still has control areas to deal with and they had the greatest challenges.  They had the most birds and they had a lot of caged layers with millions of birds on an individual farm to deal with.”

She says the best way to prevent avian flu on farms – is to implement strict biosecurity practices.

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