Over 4 million egg-laying chickens are scheduled for execution after officials discovered the flock was reportedly impacted by bird flu in Sioux County, Iowa.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said in a press release Tuesday they “detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)” among “commercial layer chickens.” The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) believes “the threat to humans remains low,” the department says. Approximately 4.2 million chickens are to be killed in an effort to stop the disease from spreading, officials told CBS News.
Crews are in the process of killing 4.2 million chickens after bird flu was found at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa, making it the latest in an outbreak that now is affecting dairy cattle. Health officials say the risk to the public still remains low. https://t.co/3XBdVauJtN pic.twitter.com/RYb22nBFeh
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) May 29, 2024
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship says “wild birds” can carry HPAI without “appearing sick,” but “domestic birds,” such as chickens, suffer greatly, according to the press release. Standard practice is to kill the chickens quickly and dispose of them to help prevent the spread of the disease. Often farmers will use a lethal foam or stop airflow into the barns to raise the temperatures of the barns, killing the chickens, according to CBS News.
The outbreak marks the largest number of chickens affected by bird flu this year nationwide, USDA data shows, the outlet reported. It is also the largest outbreak in Iowa since 2022, when both Vista and Osceola counties suffered more than 5 million infected with HPAI, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. An official with the state’s agricultural department told CBS News that “depopulation is ongoing.” Iowa is also the largest producer of eggs, according to the outlet. (RELATED: FACT CHECK: Is Bill Gates Planning To “Euthanize Billions” With The Bird Flu Vaccine?)
The ongoing outbreak was recently detected in cattle for the first time, according to Texas and U.S. health officials. Two people in the U.S. were also infected with HPAI in recent weeks, according to the CDC. The virus was also detected in milk and beef, CBS News reported.
