Confirmation of the diseased birds was provided by Iowa Department of Natural Resources Officer Bill Spece. This is the first confirmation of avian flu in Hamilton County since March 2022.

Spece encouraged residents to stay away from the pond, which is privately owned.

According to the DNR, more than 300 wild birds, including those in Hamilton County, have been confirmed statewide to have highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in 2024.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has confirmed 11 cases of HPAI in commercial or backyard flocks of chickens and turkeys this year.

The DNR tracks wild birds, while IDALS focuses on commercial and backyard breeders.

Disaster proclamations were issued earlier this month by Gov. Kim Reynolds for Sioux, Palo Alto, Sac, O’Brien, and Worth counties, all of which have had confirmed cases in commercial flocks. The disaster proclamations were made as commercial breeders are required to cull all flocks when avian flu is detected.

With flocks in five Iowa counties being destroyed in recent weeks, experts are trying to minimize exposure to healthy birds as well as to educate the public on food safety practices for both poultry and wild waterfowl.

“The chance of infected poultry and poultry products entering the food chain is extremely low,” said Dr. Yuko Sato, Iowa State University Extension veterinarian. “As part of the USDA avian flu response plan, infected birds do not enter the food supply. In addition, sick birds will not produce eggs as this virus is highly pathogenic and birds that are affected will die acutely. Even then, the virus is easy to kill and poultry and poultry products that are properly prepared and cooked are safe to eat and will be inactivated by the temperature needed to cook poultry.”

For those seeking or hunting wild waterfowl, Dr. Rachel Ruden, Iowa DNR state wildlife veterinarian, suggested limiting exposure while field dressing and consuming wild game, encouraging hunters to wear disposable gloves when handling or cleaning game, to keep a separate pair of shoes in the game cleaning area only, and using dedicated tools for cleaning game. Ruden also stated that it is important that hunters do not harvest or handle wild birds that are found sick or dead.

“We are encouraging the public to stay away from sick birds, especially waterfowl,” said Ruden. “We have seen some shift in their clinical presentation – some are still developing the ‘classical’ signs like twisting their heads and necks or swimming in tight circles. However, some are just quiet and seem unable or unaware to fly away when approached.”

Avian flu was last detected in Iowa in 2022 and had not been seen for more than a year until recently. Ruden believes that Iowa has seen a sharp jump in affected waterfowl due to the severe cold and stress of migration.

“We’ve learned a lot about how this virus behaves in the intervening years,” said Ruden. “Dabbling ducks are a great indicator species, and we started seeing the number of HPAI detections in apparently healthy hunter harvests ramp up in mid-November. Just a couple weeks later we started responding to sick and dead geese.”

Avian flu, whether in commercial flocks or wild birds, is primarily spread by direct contact between healthy birds and infected birds, and in commercial facilities through indirect contact with contaminated equipment and materials. According to Sato, the respiratory virus is shed through infected birds’ feces and secretions from the nose, mouth, and eyes.

If commercial flock owners or those with backyard flocks suspect signs of avian flu, they are asked to contact their veterinarian immediately. Potential cases in wild birds should be reported to the Iowa DNR.