A new strain of bird flu, which originated in the Western US and infected several commercial chicken and turkey farms, has spread to Indiana, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
A backyard poultry flock in Indiana was tested positive for a strain of H5N8 avian influenza, bringing the number of states affected by the outbreak to 15, Reuters reported.
This is different from the H5N2 strain that infected several Midwestern farms, due to which nearly 30 million birds have been culled so far.
The H5N8 strain had been found only in the Pacific flyway during this outbreak and later federal and state officials have confirmed that several commercial chicken and turkey farms in California and a backyard poultry flock in Oregon were infected by this strain.
Several captive falcons were found to be infected by H5N8 in Idaho and Washington.
The reason for the spread of the contagious virus is still unknown.
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service spokeswoman Joelle Hayden said: "We're working on the epidemiology, but the new finding of H5N8 is mostly likely due to a new introduction by waterfowl."
The H5 strains in the current outbreak pose a low risk to human health. However, no human infections have been reported associated with the outbreak.
Image: A backyard poultry flock in Indiana was tested positive for a strain of H5N8 avian influenza. Photo: courtesy of Simon Howden / freedigitalphotos.
