H5N2 avian flu confirmed in Iowa

Risk to the public is considered low

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed that a commercial turkey farm in Iowa’s Buena Vista County has been infected with the H5N2 strain of avian flu. The flock of about 27,000 turkeys resides inside the Mississippi flyway where this strain has been seen before.

This is the first confirmed case in a commercial flock in Iowa and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) considers the risk to the general public to be low. As of now, there have been no human sicknesses associated with H5N2.

The flock was experiencing increased deaths and samples were sent to Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa confirmed the presence of H5N2.

The property where the turkeys live has been put under quarantine and the remaining birds will be depopulated to try and prevent the disease from spreading and to keep them out of the food system.

As part of their ongoing efforts and in keeping with their reputation as having the strongest avian influenza surveillance program in the world, the USDA uses five steps to try to control any outbreaks:

1. Quarantine – Preventing movement
2. Eradicate – Euthanizing the flock
3. Monitor region – Testing other birds in the area
4. Disinfect – Killing the virus in the infected flock
5. Test – Confirming poultry farms in the area are free of avian flu

Join the conversation and tell us the kinds of measures you employ on your farm to ensure the health of all the animals. If you live in Buena Vista County, are you concerned that it could spread?

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