The first commercial farm case since an infection at a turkey farm in April has been discovered, according to Iowa agriculture officials, who said Monday that another commercial egg farm in the state had contracted bird flu.
The most recent instance is in Wright County, which is in north central Iowa and is located about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Des Moines and is home to approximately 1.1 million hens.
This year, 15 commercial farms in Iowa have contracted the disease, which has affected chickens, including turkeys and other poultry.
Five backyard flocks have also contracted the disease. All birds on an infected farm are killed and destroyed since the virus is highly contagious, preventing the infection from spreading.
Before the most recent farm was discovered to be sick, Iowa had suffered the most bird losses this year, losing more than 13.3 million birds.
More than 47.7 million birds nationwide, including 251 commercial flocks and 328 backyard flocks, have been impacted in 43 states data from the Department of Agriculture.
The majority of the cases in Iowa occurred in March and April, during the wild bird migration season, with one case being reported in early May.
After a backyard flock became infected on October 20, the virus was not discovered again until the most recent outbreak was discovered on Monday.
Agriculture officials at the federal and state levels worried that it would reappear with the fall migration of wild birds, which frequently carry the virus but are unaffected by it.
The virus can infect dust and soil when dispersed through bird excrement or nasal secretions.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said, “We have been planning for the likelihood of new outbreaks and are working closely with growers to eradicate this illness from our state. ”
We keep emphasizing the need for solid biosecurity on chicken farms and surrounding backyard flocks to help prevent and limit the spread of this harmful virus as migration continues.
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