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Officials in Iowa have declared a state of "disaster emergency" in response to the continuing spread of bird flu in the United States. The rules limit the sale, swapping, and exhibition of poultry, with the move followed by the state of Arkansas.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said that as of March 23, 2022, there had been five confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the state.
The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) avian flu tracking site confirmed these cases, revealing they had involved three flocks of commercial chickens and turkeys, and two mixed backyard flocks.
Thus far, bird flu has been found in commercial and backyard flocks in a total of seventeen states, including New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, and Maine.
The total number of birds in the affected (culled) flocks in these states amounts to over 13 million, according to USDA. This includes a flock of over five million commercial layer chickens in Buena Vista, Iowa, the largest flock affected in the current outbreak which has been raging since January this year.
While avian flu has yet to be detected in commercial, backyard birds or wild birds, Arkansas is taking no chances as the virus has been found in commercial birds in the neighboring state of Missouri, and in wild birds in Arkansas' neighbor state of Tennessee. The virus can be easily spread by wild birds.
In Iowa, all events in which live birds are brought together are now canceled, including state and county fairs for a minimum of 30 days, provided there are no further detections of the virus.
Poultry producers and bird owners in the state have been urged to implement biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of the highly infectious virus. Residents of the state are warned that violation of the rules could result in a civil penalty, a criminal prosecution, or both.
In Arkansas, the emergency measures (also restricting the sale or exhibition of birds) apply to an "affected area" defined as a region within a 25-mile radius of a flock in which the virus has been detected.
The rules also state that all free-range and backyard poultry must be confined under a roof or inside structures to prevent contamination from infected migratory birds flying overhead, or by direct exposure to wild birds.
Despite the ongoing spread of avian flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintain that there is no immediate risk to public health.
Chair of immunology and infection at the School of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University, Peter Barlow, told Newsweek: "It's fairly uncommon for avian influenza to transmit to humans and there is an extremely low risk of it causing any widespread human disease.
"In some instances, transmission can occur where individuals who have prolonged close contact with infected birds can become infected themselves. It is unlikely that any onward transmission would occur because avian H5 viruses cannot effectively transmit from human to human."
Barlow added that the virus is usually only contracted by humans who are in prolonged close contact with infected birds, as the virus is shed in saliva, feces, and other fluids.
He concluded: "There's no evidence that the virus can be contracted by eating contaminated food as the primary method of transmission would be by inhalation. There are inherent microbiological risks associated with handling raw meat, so it is always advisable to ensure that good hygiene practices are always followed.
"While instances of H5 infection in humans can be very serious, they are also rare. While the virus will likely spread further through bird populations in the United States, the risk to the human population is very low."
