WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship reported that around 103,000 turkeys in a commercial facility in Cherokee County were infected with avian flu, raising concerns about the outbreak.
The recent announcement marks the second bird flu outbreak in Iowa as earlier about 4.2 million egg-laying chickens in Sioux County were infected by the virus.
In a response to the second outbreak, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a proclamation allowing the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Homeland Security, and other agencies to 'assist with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection.'
The birds at both the farms are to be culled to prevent the spread of infection.
Similarly, nearly 1.4 million chickens were slaughtered in a farm of Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week due to bird flu.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a total of 92.34 million birds have been killed since the onset of outbreak in 2022.
Even though, health officials assured that the risk to the public remains low, the CDC has advised people to avoid close exposure to sick or dead animals, especially wild birds and poultry, and to get a seasonal flu vaccine for precaution.
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