Interactive Charts Show Hardest-Hit Counties in Bird Flu Crisis

By: Lauren Cross | Investigate Midwest

The latest data from the CDC and USDA shows the continued devastating effects of bird flu outbreaks across the United States — with Iowa, the nation’s leading egg producer, suffering substantial losses.

Since November 2023, more than 12.1 million poultry birds have been affected in Sioux County, Iowa.

On Jan. 17, health officials in Georgia, the nation’s leading state for chicken production, announced it was suspending poultry sales after detecting bird flu, for the first time, in flocks designated for commercial sale. This recent development is not yet reflected in the CDC and USDA databases used for this analysis.

“This is a serious threat to Georgia’s No. 1 industry and the livelihoods of thousands of Georgians who make their living in our state’s poultry industry. We are working around the clock to mitigate any further spread of the disease and ensure that normal poultry activities in Georgia can resume as quickly as possible,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in a news release.

Since federal and state government officials began tracking in February 2022, at least 1,400 outbreaks have been reported in more than 600 counties nationwide, affecting nearly 135 million birds.

Other counties experiencing severe losses include Weld County, Colorado, with 9.95 million since April 2022, and Merced County, California, recording 8.35 million, according to the data.

Midwest states with the highest number of birds affected include Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan, and Nebraska.

Meanwhile, 67 human cases have been reported in the U.S. since the flu was first detected in humans in 2024, according to the CDC.

“While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures,” the agency stated on its website, which is regularly updated with the latest information.

This article first appeared on Investigate Midwest and is republished by Iowa Capital Dispatch under a Creative Commons license.

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