Published: Wednesday, May 29, 2024
DES MOINES (Iowa) — The state has announced that more than 4,000,000 chickens will be destroyed in Iowa after a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu was found at a large farm.
After the disease was discovered at a Sioux County farm, Iowa, crews are currently killing 4.2 millions chickens. This is the latest outbreak in an ongoing epidemic that has now affected dairy cattle. Last week, the virus had been confirmed at an eggs farm located west of Minneapolis in Minnesota. This led to the death of nearly 1.4 millions chickens.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, since the outbreak started in 2022, an estimated 92.34 millions birds have died.
The spread of bird flu to cattle is a growing concern. In May, the virus was found in milk and beef of a second dairy worker who was diagnosed with bird influenza. The virus has been detected on dairy farms in nine different states.
Officials from the Department of Agriculture and Health have stated that the risk for the public is low. The U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that the meat of a sickened dairy cattle was not allowed into the food supply of the country and beef is safe to consume.
Workers who are exposed to infected animal species face a greater risk. Two dairy workers and a man who worked to slaughter infected poultry on a farm were the only three confirmed human cases in the United States.