According to the US Department of Agriculture report released on Tuesday, the number of US poultry flocks infected with a deadly strain of bird flu has increase. Iowa has identified its first case and Minnesota has given the confirmation of eight more cases.

Iowa has become the 12th state this year to find poultry infected with the H5N2 flu. The flu can kill nearly an entire flock within two days.

In the last six weeks, twenty-two commercial turkey flocks in Minnesota have been infected with the H5N2 flu. Minnesota is the leading US turkey-producing state.

According to Agriculture Department data, the number has accounted for over half of the 43 flocks that have been infected nationwide, since the beginning of the year.

The department mentioned that the facilities that have recently confirmed the infections will be quarantined and the birds there will be culled.

The Minnesota Turkey Growers Association said that before Minnesota's eight new cases, the state's poultry producers had already lost around 900,000 turkeys worth $15.7 million due to deaths from bird flu and culling to prevent the spread of the disease. As per the association the farmers in Minnesota raise around 46 million turkeys per year.

Due to the bird flu infections, the major overseas buyers, including China and Mexico, have been prompted to restrict imports of US poultry and eggs in the $5.7 billion export market.

This year, the birds grown for major poultry producers including privately held Butterball LLC, Cargill Inc and a subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corp have been killed by the virus.

The veterinarians said that the migratory ducks are believed to be spreading the virus as they travel to northern states after spending the winter farther south.