NewsDesk @bactiman63

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in two flocks in Minnesota – a commercial turkey flock in Meeker County and a backyard mixed species flock (non-poultry) in Mower County.

Image/Richard L. Welch

Samples from the Meeker County flock were tested at the Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory and samples from the Mower County flock were tested at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, both part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa.

APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials in Minnesota on a joint incident response. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the properties will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flocks will not enter the food system.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections do not present an immediate public health concern.  No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States.