DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 4 million chickens in Iowa will have to be killed after a case of highly pathogenic avian flu was detected at a large egg farm, the state announced Tuesday.
Crews are killing 4.2 million chickens after the disease was discovered on a farm in Sioux County, Iowa, making it the latest in a years-long outbreak that also affects dairy cattle. Last week, the virus was confirmed at an egg farm west of Minneapolis, Minnesota, leading to the slaughter of nearly 1.4 million chickens.
A total of 92.34 million birds have been killed since epidemic began in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Although avian flu has become somewhat common among poultry, its spread to cattle has added to concerns about the disease. In May, a second A dairy worker was diagnosed with bird flu and the virus was detected in both beef And milk. It has been confirmed on dairy cattle farms in nine states.
Health and agriculture officials said the risk to the public remained low. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said meat from a single sick dairy cow was not allowed into the nation’s food supply and beef remained edible.
Workers exposed to infected animals are at higher risk. The only three confirmed human cases in the United States involved two dairy workers and a man working to cull infected birds on a poultry farm.
News Source : apnews.com
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