Iowa HHS urges farm workers to don PPE if they are in direct contact with sick or dead poultry or cattle to protect against avian influenza. (Photo via Getty Images)
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday the state’s first human case of the highly pathogenic avian influenza.
According to a press release from the department, the individual is a commercial poultry worker who was exposed by a flock in northwest Iowa.
Earlier this week, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced the 11th detection of the virus in poultry flocks this year , following a string of detections that began in early December.
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The press release did not say from which county the individual worked, but the bird flu has been detected in Sioux, Palo Alto, Sac, O’Brien Monona, and Worth Counties this month.
The HHS release said the individual reported mild symptoms, received “appropriate treatment” and is recovering.