Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says USDA scientists have collected data from Iowa and are working to understand how bird flu has moved to infect dairy cows as well as other animals.
No other state is doing testing of dairy operations within a 12-mile radius of any poultry flock that has to be euthanized after avian influenza is confirmed in the birds — and Naig says wildlife in those zones are being screened for bird flu as well.
It’s been a couple of weeks since bird flu has been confirmed in cattle or poultry in an Iowa operation. Since March, six farm workers in Texas, Michigan and Colorado have tested positive for bird flu. Employees at Iowa facilities where the virus has been confirmed among birds or cattle have been tested, but Naig says there have been no human cases of bird flu in Iowa.
Naig made his comments this weekend during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS.
