News

Bird flu confirmed in Iowa egg laying facility

An outbreak of the avian flu virus has been confirmed in a commercial egg laying facility in Osceola County in extreme northwest Iowa.

According to a news release from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Osceola County facility has 5.3 million hens.

It’s the second case of the avian flu reported in Iowa.  Last week, the virus was confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in Buena Vista County.

Animal health officials say that while turkeys are more susceptible to the virus than chickens, chickens can also be affected.  Because Iowa is the nation’s top egg-producing state, the egg industry has been on high alert since the disease was first reported in Minnesota in March.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working closely with Iowa officials on the joint incident response. State officials have quarantined the premise and they say birds on the property will be humanely euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Iowa Department of Public Health consider the risk to people from these infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low.  No human infections with the virus have ever been detected.