Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in LaMoure County, North Dakota, according to an April 24 report from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. The premises contained approximately 69,000 turkeys and also about 2,000 chickens.
The exact serotype of the virus in the LaMoure County flock has not yet been determined.
A presumptive positive case was first identified by the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and confirmed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
This is the second case confirmed in North Dakota. A response team has been working with a Dickey County poultry farm since the first case was confirmed on April 10. In that outbreak, a flock of about 40,000 turkeys was affected.
“We have activated the avian influenza response plan that has been in place for some time,” said North Dakota State Veterinarian Dr. Susan Keller. “It is a collaborative effort with help from federal and state agencies, local officials and poultry producers.”
The avian influenza response team is working around the clock to control the outbreak and serve as a resource to residents. In an emergency clause, the North Dakota legislature has allotted $300,000 of federal spending authority to respond to and combat avian influenza.
