Iowa officials confirmed a strain of highly contagious avian influenza on two commercial poultry farms in Iowa last week. 

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in a turkey flock in Buena Vista County March 6 and a flock of commercial layer chickens in Taylor County March 11.

Working in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship moved quickly to depopulate the flocks to prevent further spread of the disease, said State Veterinarian Dr. Jeff Kaisand.

The Buena Vista flock was comprised of 50,000 turkeys that...