Elyse Gabor | October 25, 2022

Bird flu has been detected in a backyard flock in Dallas County. The flock consists of 48 birds of a variety of species. 

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced the infection Thursday, with Iowa’s Agriculture Secretary, Mike Naig saying, “It is not unexpected that we would face additional highly pathogenic avian influenza challenges in Iowa given that the fall migration is underway, and many other states have recently announced confirmed cases.”  

This is the first detection since last May. However, in September hunters found a few birds containing the virus. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is working with other organizations to keep the birds safe and free from contamination.  

Overall, about 13.5 million birds have been found to have bird flu in Iowa. The virus is expected to last through this year and possibly next. According to Yuko Sato, a poultry extension veterinarian and diagnostician at Iowa State University, “It’s here to stay until it clears itself out. Might not be this year. Might be next year.”