A sixth case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been detected in a Sioux County dairy herd. To date, there have been eight dairy herds in northwest Iowa where bird flu has been found in the past month. Other cases have been noted in Plymouth and O’Brien county dairy herds.
EXTENSIVE TESTING FOR BIRD FLU IN IOWA DAIRY HERDS
State Ag Secretary Mike Naig says Iowa officials are taking a different approach compared to other states when it comes to bird flu testing. When a poultry flock has been hit by the virus, the testing protocol has been that poultry operations within a 20 kilometer radius are tested. Naig has ordered that dairy herds in that zone be tested as well. He says that will provide a more accurate picture of how far the virus has spread and may lead to more precise measures to protect herds from contracting bird flu. Results are expected soon and Naig says there could be a big bump in the number of bird flu cases confirmed on Iowa dairy farms.
