Bird flu infects yet another Sioux County dairy herd

State officials announced over the weekend that another case of avian flu was found in a Sioux County dairy herd, marking the 11th case of bird flu found in Iowa cattle.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s report Saturday of pathogenic avian influenza in a dairy herd of 5,000 is the ninth report this month involving a Sioux County herd. There have also been reports in Plymouth and O’Brien counties for a total of 11 reports in Iowa dairy herds.

Cows generally can recover from the infection within two weeks; however, the infection is often fatal in birds and entire flocks are killed to stem the spread. Since May 28, the department has announced two turkey flocks and one chicken flock with bird flu.

Signs of avian flu in cattle include fever, dehydration, lethargy and a drop in milk production. In birds, signs include diarrhea, a decrease in egg production, coughing and sudden increases in bird deaths.

Bird flu in dairy cattle also has been reported in Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado and Texas.

Infections of Iowa flocks and herds this year include:

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.