(Des Moines)– Iowa Ag officials have confirmed another positive case of bird flu in Buena Vista County.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, along with several federal agencies, announced Thursday (March 24th) that another commercial turkey flock had a confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as HPAI.
This is the third confirmed case of HPAI in Buena Vista County. The first case was in a commercial turkey flock on March 6 and the second case was in a flock of commercial laying hens on March 17.
“This is a difficult time for poultry producers as HPAI continues to impact farms across Iowa and the United States,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “We continue to work with them, USDA and other industry stakeholders to implement our plans and minimize the spread of the virus. Biosecurity remains the best line of defense to protect the health of our poultry flocks.”
Flock owners should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds and report sick birds or unusual deaths to state and federal officials. Possible cases must be reported to the Iowa Department of Agriculture at (515) 281-5305.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States. Federal officials say it remains safe to eat poultry products.
(Courtesy news partner KTIV in Sioux City)
