(Council Bluffs) Pottawattamie County Emergency Management says local officials have been notified of a confirmed positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that had infected a non-commercial backyard poultry flock in rural Pottawattamie County. The site is not part of the commercial food supply chain and according to the Centers for Disease Control, poses a low risk of transmission to humans.
Officials from Emergency Management, Pottawattamie County Public Health, and the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office were briefed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) earlier today. IDALS has worked directly with the site to mitigate potential spread of the virus and will continue monitoring the site and area. The Iowa Department of Public Health and Pottawattamie County Public Health will monitor those individuals who were in contact with the flock to rule out any potential of bird to human transmission regarding this case. The CDC reports that there have been no detected human cases from HPAI in the United States.
“Local, state, and federal plans developed to respond to these kinds of incidents are being implemented and there is no immediate public health or food-related safety concern at this time,” commented Doug Reed, director of emergency management.”
IDALS is the lead agency for HPAI and other foreign animal disease responses. Local officials will provide support to the state-led event, as needed, or requested.
Poultry producers, residents with backyard poultry or bird flocks, and the public can find more information, updates, and resources at https://pcema-ia.org/hpai.
