More Cases of Bird Flu Found in Iowa Turkey Flock, Cattle Impacted Too

Let's talk turkey. Normally, I kick things off with a personal story and try to tie it into the article I'm writing.  This will be an article of a lot of facts and information.  I've not had contact with birds with the flu, nor do I wish to, and had they gotten their flu shots, we possibly wouldn't be talking about this.

Have You Heard About the Bird.... Flu?

So, there’s been an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), specifically the H5N1 strain, here in Iowa. It was detected in two commercial poultry farms—one in Palo Alto County with turkeys, and the other in Sioux County with egg-laying hens. It's a big deal, because this strain spreads fast and can be really deadly to birds. 

The Iowa Governor Issued a Proclamation

To help prevent the virus from spreading, Iowa's Department of Agriculture is urging poultry farmers to take extra precautions. On top of that, Governor Kim Reynolds has expanded a disaster proclamation to include Palo Alto County, which was just added to the initial one for Sioux County. This gives state and local agencies the resources they need to handle the situation. 

What’s also concerning, is that H5N1 has been found in dairy cattle since spring 2024, and nearly 60 people who came into contact with infected animals have been affected. But, the good news is that there’s no sign the virus is spreading between people, and health authorities have assured us that eating poultry, eggs, and pasteurized dairy is still safe. 

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On top of all this, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a new program to test milk for the bird flu, though Iowa isn’t part of that just yet. Overall, while it’s concerning, they’re keeping things under control, and the risk to us as consumers is still low.