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Iowa reports three cases of H5N1 in poultry within the last week

Colorized transmission electron micrograph of Avian influenza A H5N1 viruses (seen in gold) grown in MDCK cells (seen in green). Avian influenza A viruses do not usually infect humans; however, several instances of human infections and outbreaks have been reported since 1997. When such infections occur, public health authorities monitor these situations closely.
Colorized transmission electron micrograph of Avian influenza A H5N1 viruses (seen in gold) grown in MDCK cells (seen in green). Avian influenza A viruses do not usually infect humans; however, several instances of human infections and outbreaks have been reported since 1997. When such infections occur, public health authorities monitor these situations closely.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship says a sixth case of H5N1 has been found in poultry in Sioux County in 2024. There have been 13 cases of H5N1 in dairy herds since June 2024.

Another flock of commercial birds tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 in Sioux County on Monday, Dec. 9th.

The flock of chickens is the third case, sixth overall, of H5N1 in the last week. A fourth poultry case in Sioux County was announced this past Friday, and a fifth, consisting of turkeys in Palo Alto County, was announced on Sunday, Dec. 8th.

Agriculture officials say poultry producers and people with backyard flocks should contact their veterinarian immediately if they suspect signs of H-5-N-1. They also encourage people with livestock to bolster biosecurity on their farms.

The virus was detected at 13 dairy herds in northwest Iowa in June.

On Friday the USDA announced the start of its National Milk Testing Strategy. Part of this requires testing samples of raw, unpasteurized milk at dairy processing facilities, starting December 16.

The USDA said this will allow the agency to identify where the disease is present, monitor trends and help states identify potentially affected herds.

Health officials say heat-treated pasteurized milk remains safe.

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Brady is a 2021 Augustana College graduate majoring in Multimedia Journalism-Mass Communication and Political Science. Over the last eight years, he has reported in central Illinois at various media outlets, including The Peoria Journal Star, WCBU Peoria Public Radio, Advanced Media Partners, and WGLT Bloomington-Normal's Public Media.