Avian influenza, also known as the bird flu, is caused by influenza viruses that spread between birds. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, bird flu is common in wild birds, especially waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors.

Local businesses are getting hit hard by climbing egg prices, and a recent bird flu outbreak at a Southern Indiana farm could drive up the cost of the essential ingredient even more.

Over 2.8 million egg laying hens have been killed after a bird flu outbreak in Jackson County. It’s the largest appearance in Indiana of the infectious agent avian influenza since the strain was first spotted in 2022. Seymour based Rose Acre Farms confirmed the outbreak to Hoosier Ag Today in a statement:

An egg farm in southern Indiana has tested positive for bird flu. Rose Acre Farms, one of the largest egg producers in the country, announced on its Facebook that its Cort Acre Egg Farm in Seymour recently tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI),

Rose Acre Farms, the nation's second largest egg producer, said yesterday that tests have confirmed avian flu at its facility in Seymour, Indiana, which could further stretch the supply of eggs as commercial farms in several states continue to battle the spread of the H5N1 virus.

State officials are working with partners to test suspected cases and collaborating with municipalities to safely dispose of dead birds." The post Bird flu now considered ‘widespread’ in Mass., officials say appeared first on Boston.

Bird flu is now believed to be widespread in Massachusetts and is likely present even in places where there has not been a confirmed positive, state environmental and health officials said Wednesday.

Scientists say the temporary freeze on communications from federal officials creates a troubling blind spot for those tracking the virus.