Iowa sees sixth bird flu detection so far this year

Photo by Peter Chou/Pixabay

The highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in domestic poultry flocks in Washington and Buena Vista counties, marking the fifth, and sixth detections in Iowa in 2026, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

The detections were in a multi-species flock of 48 birds in Washington County and a multi-species flock of approximately 35 birds in Buena Vista County, according to a spokesperson with IDALS.

Flocks that are smaller than commercial operation sizes are considered “backyard flocks” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Iowa detections in 2026 have been in backyard flocks of varying sizes and in game bird flocks and hatcheries.

Nationally, the total number of birds impacted by the H5N1 strain of the virus, since the start of the current outbreak in February 2022, continues to mount. On Feb. 25, 2026 USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, listed the total number of birds impacted at more than 195 million birds. As of Wednesday, just one week later, the total number of impacted birds was just over 200.6 million birds.

In the past 30 days, more than 11.5 million birds have been affected by the bird flu, per APHIS data. The majority of these birds have been in commercial operations, which regularly have tens of thousands, if not millions, of birds per flock.

The virus is often fatal to domestic poultry, and the protocol to contain the spread of the virus typically involves culling the entire flock.

IDALS encourages poultry producers and backyard flock owners to “continue bolstering their biosecurity practices” to protect flocks. The department has a number of biosecurity practices on its website, some examples include limiting a flock’s exposure to wild animals or birds and keeping the flock’s environment clean.

Producers are also encouraged to contact their veterinarians if they suspect signs of bird flu in their flocks.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.