SIOUX COUNTY, Iowa — Editor's Note: The above video was published on June 9, 2024.
Bird flu has now been identified in eight Iowa dairy herds, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced Wednesday.
The most recent case in Sioux County comes amid growing concerns about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza's (HPAI) impact on dairy farms.
So far, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and USDA officials have detected HPAI in three commercial poultry flocks and eight herds of dairy cattle.
Here are where the cases have been located as of June 20:
- Cherokee County
- June 2, 2024: Commercial turkey flock
- O'Brien County
- June 5, 2024: Dairy herd
- Plymouth County
- June 14, 2024: Dairy herd
- Sac County
- June 20, 2024: Commercial turkey flock
- Sioux County
- May 28, 2024: Commercial layer chickens
- June 7, 2024: Dairy herd
- June 12, 2024: Dairy herd
- June 14, 2024: Dairy herd
- June 15, 2024: Dairy herd
- June 17, 2024: Dairy herd
- June 19, 2024: Dairy herd
RELATED: With 100M birds dead, poultry industry could serve as example as dairy farmers confront bird flu
Bird flu symptoms
Bird flu symptoms will manifest in different ways for birds and cattle.
Poultry producers and farmers are encouraged to look out for these signs in their birds:
- Sudden increase in bird deaths without any clinical signs
- Lethargy and/or lack of energy and appetite
- Decrease in egg production
- Soft, thin-shelled and/or misshapen eggs
- Swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks
- Purple/blue discoloration of the wattles, comb, and legs
- Difficulty breathing
- Coughing, sneezing, and/or nasal discharge (runny nose)
- Stumbling and/or falling down
- Diarrhea
Dairy cattle may experience the following symptoms if they have bird flu:
- Decrease in food consumption with a simultaneous decrease in rumination
- Clear nasal discharge
- Drop in milk production
- Tacky or loose feces
- Lethargy
- Dehydration
- Fever
- Thicker, concentrated, colostrum-like milk
Farmers who notice these symptoms in a flock or herd should immediately seek veterinary care and report the possible case to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at 515-281-5305.
Bird flu in humans
While the recent bird flu detections are a cause of concern, the CDC believes the threat to humans is low. There have been only four reported cases of the virus in humans since 2022. However, three of those cases were reported between April 1 and May 29 of 2024 following exposure to dairy cows.
Still, public health officials say consuming poultry products, pasteurized milk and dairy products is safe.