116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Recent bird flu bout claims fourth flock
Entire flocks are culled to prevent spread of the virus
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
A Sac County flock of about 45,000 turkeys was recently infected by highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said Wednesday.
It is the fourth commercial flock in northwest Iowa in less than a week to have infected poultry.
The bird flu is very transmissible and often kills poultry, and entire flocks are culled when they harbor it. The virus is often spread by migrating birds that are less affected by it.
The recent spate of infections came after a more-than-five-month lull in detections. They include:
- A flock of about 1.6 million egg-laying chickens in Sioux County, announced Monday.
- A flock of about 31,000 turkeys in Palo Alto County, announced Sunday.
- A flock of about 4.3 million egg-laying chickens in Sioux County, announced Friday.
Northwest Iowa has the largest concentration of poultry confinements in the state. State ag officials have cautioned poultry and dairy farms to limit contact with wildlife, limit visitors and take sanitary precautions to reduce the risk of infections.
A version of the virus infected cattle at 13 Iowa dairy farms this summer, but there have been no recent detections.
Comments: (319) 368-8541; jared.strong@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters