(4-1-22) In light of the recent confirmation of a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial flock in Cherokee County, Public Health officials want to pass along some pertinent information about HPAI.
For any flock identified within the county, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) will reach out to discuss the process of making contact with the workers that were potentially exposed and perform monitoring for signs and symptoms of respiratory illness. An initial form has been created for identifying those potentially exposed and a form for daily monitoring for 10 days from the last potential exposure. There have not been any human cases of avian influenza identified in Iowa or the United States at this time.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern. It remains safe to eat poultry products. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F kills bacteria and viruses.
Avian influenza (AI) is caused by an influenza type A virus which can infect poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese, and guinea fowl) and wild birds (especially waterfowl). All bird owners, whether commercial producers or backyard flock owners, should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds and report sick birds or unusual deaths to state/federal officials.
Anyone involved with poultry production from the small backyard to the large commercial producer should review their biosecurity activities to assure the health of their birds. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has materials about biosecurity, including videos, checklists, and a toolkit available at…