A dairy in northwestern Iowa has made the state the 10th across the U.S. to have identified H5N1 avian flu virus in a cattle herd, according to state officials.
On Wednesday, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture announced the detection of the HPAI case in O’Brien County.
This is Iowa’s first reported case of HPAI within a dairy. To date, APHIS has confirmed over 80 dairy cases on farms in South Dakota, Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, Kansas, Idaho, New Mexico, and Colorado.
The Iowa herd is located near a Sioux County egg farm where over 4.2 million egg-producing hens were depopulated after a bird flu outbreak was announced last week.
Genomic sequencing of the virus that was detected at the Sioux County farm announced on May 28 was determined by the NVSL in Ames to be consistent with the variant identified in affected dairies in other states. Sequencing is not yet completed on the virus detected at a recent turkey flock in Cherokee County or this dairy in O’Brien County.
Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to try to determine how the virus was introduced into the flocks and herds.
“Given the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza within dairy cattle in many other states, it is not a surprise that we would have a case given the size of our dairy industry in Iowa. While lactating dairy cattle appear to recover with supportive care, we know this destructive virus continues to be deadly for poultry. Our team at the Department has been preparing for this possibility and will soon be announcing additional response steps to protect our flocks and herds,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.
Officials encourage poultry producers and dairy farmers to take steps to harden their biosecurity defenses, limit unnecessary visitors, and report symptomatic birds or cattle.
“This remains an evolving situation, and we will continue to be in close communication with stakeholders, USDA, and other states as we evaluate our response,” said Naig. “Our top priority is to protect our livestock and the farmers and people who care for them.”