Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in a dairy cattle herd in Indiana for the first time.
The case was confirmed November 2 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) via PCR (polymerase chain reaction), which detected HPAI H5N1 genotype B3.13 in a dairy cattle herd in Indiana. This detection was a result of routine National Milk Testing Strategy testing, not pre-movement surveillance.
According to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH), the virus was detected in two Newton County, Indiana dairy herds in late October. After notification of the finding, BOAH collected samples at the identified farms for follow up testing at the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, which was confirmed by the USDA NVSL.
The two dairies are operationally connected; no other cases in dairy cattle have been detected in Indiana. Regular monthly surveillance of storage silos at Indiana-based dairy processing facilities under the National Milk Testing Strategy continues.
This marks the first reported case of HPAI in cattle in Indiana. While dairy cattle in 21 states have been infected since the start of the outbreak in March 2024, APHIS has seen cases in previously unaffected states this year. APHIS is working closely with BOAH to conduct additional on-farm investigations, diagnostic testing, and epidemiological data collection to better understand the detection and prevent further disease spread.
The detection does not change USDA’s HPAI eradication strategy. Biosecurity is still key to mitigating the risk of disease introduction or spread between premises. APHIS recommends enhanced biosecurity measures for all dairy farms. Producers should immediately report any livestock with clinical signs, or any unusual sick or dead wildlife, to their state veterinarian.
This detection does not pose a risk to consumer health or affect the safety of the commercial milk supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is confident that pasteurization is effective at inactivating HPAI virus, and that the commercial, pasteurized milk supply is safe. Dairies are required to send only milk from healthy animals into processing for human consumption; milk from impacted animals is being diverted from the commercial milk tank or destroyed so that it does not enter the human food supply.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPAI viruses circulating in birds and U.S. dairy cattle pose a low risk to the general public in the United States. However, people who have job-related or recreational exposures to infected birds or mammals are at higher risk of infection and should take appropriate precautions outlined in CDC guidance.
