Another dairy herd infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza has been reported in Sioux County, making it the fifth such outbreak in the northwest Iowa county.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture said Monday that bird flu, known as H5N1, was reported in a Sioux County herd with 10,000 cows. It’s the seventh outbreak in a dairy herd in Iowa since the first case was reported earlier in June.
The virus is deadly to chickens, turkeys and other poultry, and flocks where it is detected are destroyed to contain the virus. So far, however, the effects on dairy cows have been limited to symptoms like reduced appetite and milk production, and they are able to recover with supportive care.
Here’s what to know about the H5N1, which has plagued Iowa and the nation’s poultry industry since 2022 and began showing up in dairy herds in March.