The Indiana State Board of Animal Health records 34 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Indiana since 2022, though the state has now been declared HPAI-free. Photo by Artem Beliaikin, Unsplash.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana may declare freedom from highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.
This designation, relative to standards set forth by the World Organization for Animal Health, eases export restrictions and international trade barriers for Indiana poultry and poultry products.
Poultry owners should note that HPAI-free status is not an “all clear” or an indication that the risk of the disease is over in Indiana or the United States. Owners of all flocks, large and small, need to remain vigilant in biosecurity and in preventing the introduction of the virus.
The influenza virus is still active throughout parts of the United States. HPAI has been identified in poultry on 1,702 premises in all 50 states and Puerto Rico since February 2022, with new cases reported as recently as last week.
“The virus is still floating around. We know it’s still in the wild bird population,” said Indiana State Board of Animal Health member Denise Derrer Spears.“We know it’s still being identified on poultry farms in other states.”
Wild birds infected with HPAI have been found from coast to coast in various species, including waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds, seabirds, and other species commonly found in Indiana. Steps should be taken to minimize wild bird exposure to poultry as much as possible, as wild bird migrations across the state can cause bird flu occurrences to increase.
Furthermore, last March, the USDA confirmed the first detection of HPAI in a Texas dairy herd. The total confirmed detections in domestic livestock — almost exclusively dairy cattle — now include 1,074 premises in 18 states. HPAI has also been found in several other species of wild and captive mammals across the country.
The first HPAI case of the 2022-2025 incident in Indiana and the nation was confirmed in early February 2022 in a Dubois County turkey flock. Indiana has had 34 commercial poultry flocks and 11 small or hobby flocks test positive for HPAI in 20 counties, leading to the killing of over 8 million birds. Of those 45 cases, 27 were diagnosed in 2025. Indiana has not diagnosed a case of HPAI in livestock.
All control areas and surveillance zones have been released, and most farms have been cleared to restock. Under WOAH guidelines, HPAI-free status can be declared for a state or region after the disease has been eliminated on all affected farms and no new infections are detected in a subsequent 28-day waiting period.
Across the U.S., seventy human cases of bird flu have been reported, mostly through poultry and dairy farm exposure. Though one case resulted in a death, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention maintains the risk to humans is low.
