Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service today (Wednesday), confirmed a positive case of highly pathogenic bird flu in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa Department of Ag reports the virus was found in a non-commercial, backyard poultry flock.

The recent bird flu detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a news release, Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig said “We recognize the threat HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) and other foreign animal diseases pose to Iowa agriculture. We have been working with USDA, livestock producers and other stakeholders to develop, test and strengthen our foreign animal disease preparedness and response plans since the 2015 HPAI outbreak. While a case like this is not unexpected, we are working with USDA and other partners to implement our plans and protect the health of poultry flocks in Iowa.”

The Ag department said biosecurity resources and best practices are available at iowaagriculture.gov/biosecurity.