Bird flu spreads to commercial turkey, backyard flocks in Iowa
Oct. 24 (UPI) -- The deadly bird flu has hit two farms in Iowa, including a commercial turkey farm, forcing thousands of birds to be euthanized to keep the disease from spreading.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture confirmed the two cases Monday, saying the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was detected at a commercial turkey farm in Pocahontas County and at a mixed species backyard flock in Guthrie County.
HPAI is a highly contagious viral disease affecting bird populations. It often travels in wild birds' droppings and is fatal to domestic chickens and turkeys.
Bird flu does not present a public health concern, according to the department, which confirmed poultry products are still safe to eat.
For birds, the virus is deadly and can spread quickly. Symptoms in birds include sudden death, lethargy, lack of appetite, decreased egg production, swelling, difficulty breathing, coughing, sneezing, diarrhea and stumbling or falling over.
Iowa's infected flocks come weeks after South Dakota, Utah and Minnesota reported bird flu outbreaks, with 12 commercial turkey farms and more than 500,000 birds impacted this month alone. In the last 30 days, 22 new cases of bird flu have been confirmed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Last year's avian flu outbreak was the largest on record in North America and Europe, according to the World Health Organization.
More than 58 million chickens died of avian flu or were killed to keep the disease from spreading in 2022, among 317 commercial flocks and 441 backyard flocks impacted in 47 states, according to the Agriculture Department.
The spread of bird flu impacted the U.S. poultry industry and was blamed for a spike in egg prices.
