This Bird Flu Issue in Iowa is Now Killing 52k More Birds

You may have noticed the bird flu outbreak in Iowa worsen in the last month, but it's now taking the lives of 15,000 chickens and 37,000 turkeys.

As KCCI reports, the flu spread to two more Iowa farms. The most recent cases were in a commercial turkey flock in Sac County and a commercial breeding chicken flock in Humboldt County.

As jarring as it is, unfortunately, these numbers are only a dent in the total number of birds to die from this bird flu outbreak. Millions of birds have been killed since the outbreak started a month ago. It's an awful issue anywhere, but Iowa is the nation's leading egg producer.

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Before you slap on a mask and avoid all things chicken, there haven't been any reports of the bird flu in humans with this outbreak and the CDC says it's very rare. You can still eat poultry, just cook it well: eggs and poultry need to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

If by some weird stroke of "luck" you do get avian flu, the symptoms sound really similar to the normal flu: fever, eye redness, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, fatigue, just to name a few but you have to have a lab test to confirm that's the diagnosis.

Meanwhile, these are the symptoms you'll find in birds (especially in poultry) you have or come across:

• Minor sneezing or coughing

• Minor discharge from eyes or beak

• Decreased food and water intake

• Decreased egg production

• Deformed eggs

In fairness, it's not just Iowa that's getting hit with it. But turkey could get more expensive.