WASHINGTON, April 6, 2015 -- USDA has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in a molting breeder replacement turkey flock in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, the seventh confirmation in a commercial flock in the state.
State officials quarantined the turkey farm and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flock will not enter the food system, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said in a news release.
The flock of 26,000 turkeys is located within the Mississippi flyway where this strain of avian influenza has previously been identified, APHIS said. Samples from the flock, which experienced increased mortality, were tested at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the findings.
CDC considers the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low. No human infections with the virus have been detected at this time.
[Do you find the information on Agri-Pulse helpful? See even more ag and rural policy news when you sign up for a four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription.]
#30
For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com