After the disastrous outcome of the coronavirus pandemic, people are constantly looking out for another similar situation, paying close attention to any and all news reports about the spread of new viruses and illnesses across the world. For the most part, things have been fairly calm with just a few small outbreaks here and there of illnesses like monkeypox, which have been contained. However, people in the United States, particularly the midwest, are getting more than a little nervous about the potential spread of the avian flu — bird flu — which thus far has primarily impacted animals like cows and such.
And that is plenty bad enough if we’re being honest. With whole herds of cattle being wiped out due to the sickness, the price of meat, milk, and dairy products are going up higher than they already were. That’s putting an insane amount of strain on the finances of individuals who are barely making ends meet.
And now, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has revealed that she’ll be extending the disaster proclamation for Sioux County for an additional two days, meaning it won’t lift until Jan. 7th and will include Palto Alto County. The latter just recently revealed a bird flu case, making it the fifth one across the state so far this year.
Should we be getting ready for yet another pandemic? What are the chances of this thing making the jump from animals to human beings? We do know that the bird flu is extremely deadly to people. Do these folks know something we don’t about the spread of the illness?
Check out more from The Des Moines Register:
The highly pathogenic avian influenza infection was detected in a turkey flock in Palo Alto County in northwest Iowa. The one Friday was in a commercial flock of laying hens in Sioux County. The were the fourth and fifth Iowa outbreaks in 2024. The previous one was confirmed June 21 in Sioux County.
As is customary, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds extended a disaster declaration she issued Friday for Sioux County to Palo Alto County through Jan. 7 to allow the use of state resources to assist with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal and disinfection. The new outbreaks come as the U.S. Department of Agriculture prepares to implement a national testing program for bird flu in milk after outbreaks of the virus, HN51, in dairy cattle in states including Iowa, where it has been detected in Sioux, O’Brien and Plymouth counties. The last case detected in Iowa cows was in June.
The good news is there haven’t been any human cases of bird flu reported in the state. Like I said earlier, if this illness makes the jump to humans and then goes airborne, it’s going to decimate the population and make COVID-19 look like the common cold. Officials say the first round of milk testing according to the mandates of the USDA is scheduled to kick off Dec. 16.
“While most infected dairy cattle experience mild symptoms from bird flu, there is concern among epidemiologists that it could be spread to humans through unpasteurized milk,” the article said. “Containing the spread of bird flu is a critical concern in Iowa, the nation’s largest producer of eggs and seventh-largest turkey grower. The virus is deadly to poultry, and when it is detected, the entire flock is destroyed to prevent its spread, resulting in the losses of tens of millions of birds so far in the current outbreak, which began in 2022.”
Other important factors to keep in mind is that the animals who are infected with the bird flu do not enter the food supply. It’s also still safe to eat poultry and eggs, as well as consuming milk that’s been pasteurized, which kills off the virus.
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