DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The state announced Tuesday that more than 4 million chickens in Iowa must be culled after highly pathogenic bird flu was found at a large egg farm.
Crews are working to cull 4.2 million chickens after the disease was discovered at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa, the latest in a year-long outbreak that is now also affecting dairy cows. Last week, the virus was confirmed at an egg farm west of Minneapolis, Minnesota, which killed nearly 1.4 million chickens.
In total, 92.34 million birds were killed Critical illness outbreaks began in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Although bird flu has become somewhat common in poultry, its spread to livestock raises concerns about the disease. In May, A Second A dairy worker was diagnosed with bird flu, and two others tested positive for the virus Beef And Milk. It has been confirmed in dairy farms in nine states.
Health and agriculture officials say the risk to the public is low. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says meat from a sick dairy cow is not allowed to enter the nation's food supply and the beef is safe to eat.
Workers exposed to infected animals are at increased risk. Two of the three confirmed human cases in the United States involved dairy workers One Man He works in a poultry farm to kill infected birds.
