WattAgNet: Fourth Minnesota turkey operation hit by avian influenza

H5N2 avian influenza confirmed in flock of 21,000 turkeys in Nobles County, Minnesota
Release Date: 2015-04-02
H5N2 avian influenza on April 2 was confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in Nobles County, Minnesota. This discovery marks the fourth commercial turkey operation in Minnesota to have a confirmed case of avian influenza.

Previous cases of avian influenza in Minnesota were confirmed in Lac qui Parle, Stearns and Pope counties. All three of those cases were confirmed in March.

According to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the affected Nobles County flock contained 21,000 turkeys. The farm is located within the Mississippi flyway, where this strain of avian influenza has previously been identified.

Samples from the turkey flock, which experienced increased mortality, were tested at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa confirmed the findings. APHIS is working closely with the Minnesota Board of Animal Health on a joint incident response. State officials quarantined the affected premises and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Minnesota Department of Health is working directly with poultry workers at the affected facility to ensure that they are taking the proper precautions. The latest outbreak is being reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

The Nobles County outbreak was one of two avian influenza cases reported by APHIS on April 2. A commercial turkey flock in Beadle County, South Dakota, was also infected with H5N2 avian influenza.