(This story was edited to add new information.)
Iowa has its first human case of the bird flu in the current outbreak, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services said in a late Friday news release .
The release said the person had been exposed to infected poultry while working with a commercial flock in northwest Iowa, and was recovering after being treated for mild symptoms.
There so far have been 64 confirmed human cases in nine states in the outbreak that began in 2022, according to federal health officials. Only one, confirmed in Louisiana earlier this week, has been severe, and all of the cases have been attributed to either exposure to infected poultry or dairy cattle, with no known human-to-human transmission of the disease.
“Iowa has monitored the spread of avian influenza closely since it was first detected in poultry in the state in 2022,” Iowa State Medical Director Dr. Robert Kruse said in the release. “Our state is prepared with the established knowledge, strong partnerships, and effective tools to mitigate its impact on our community.”