INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Board of Animal Health said the agency expects to lift a control area and surveillance zone in Dubois County on Feb. 22, barring any new positive tests for highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The BOAH imposed a 10-km. control area in Dubois County in addition to an extended surveillance zone that includes parts of Crawford, Daviess, Martin and Orange counties. All the affected sites are in Dubois County, however there have been no new positive tests since Jan. 16, the agency reported.


Feb. 22 marks the end of a 21-day US Dept. of Agriculture-prescribed period following the establishment of all compost piles. BOAH said that restrictions on movements of all poultry and products (commercial and residential) on all non-infected sites will be lifted by the Indiana State Veterinarian once the control area and surveillance zones are lifted. However, quarantines will continue at the infected sites until final site-cleanup requirements are met. To date, a total of 258,325 turkeys and 156,178 chickens have been culled.

Meanwhile, media in the Philippines reported the country’s department of agriculture implemented a temporary ban on imports of chicken and “wild bird products” from Indiana. The ban includes meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen originating from Dubois County.

The Philippines imports approximately 150,000 to 200,000 head of breeder chickens from the United States, which accounts for 50 percent of total egg layers in the Philippines, according to aManila Timesreport.