More Bird Flu Outbreaks Confirmed in Minnesota
St. Paul, MN (KROC AM News) - The US Agriculture Department has now confirmed seven outbreaks of a deadly avian flu in Minnesota commercial poultry flocks.
The Minnesota Board of Animal Health says the sixth and seventh outbreaks were confirmed Monday. One is at a turkey farm in Stearns County, while the other was found in Kandiyohi County. The Stearns County operation has about 76,000 birds, and the farm in Kandiyohi County has around 26,000 turkeys. All of the poultry at both sites will be destroyed in an effort to contain the infection.
The H5N2 virus was first detected in Minnesota last month at a commercial turkey operation in Pope County. It’s suspected the virus is being spread by migratory birds and while the risk to humans is low and there are no food safety concerns, its presence in the state has prompted dozens of countries to suspend the import of poultry from Minnesota.
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