The presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in a flock of 50,000 commercial turkeys in Morrison County, Minnesota.
The case was confirmed on September 7, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBOAH).
With this new HPAI detection, Morrison County has had 13 confirmed cases of avian flu. Of those, 11 were commercial turkey flocks, one was a commercial broiler breeder flock and one was a backyard flock. The backyard flock was the county’s previously most recent case, with a confirmation date of April 30.
Minnesota had been experiencing a break from new cases of HPAI in poultry until two cases were confirmed in Meeker County on August 30. Before those two flocks – both involving commercial turkeys – were affected, the last confirmed occurrence of HPAI in commercial poultry in the state was on May 19.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Minnesota has had 61 commercial poultry flocks and 22 backyard flocks affected by HPAI, involving more than 3.14 million birds. The APHIS figures do not include the most recent Morrison County Case, or a recently affected backyard flock in Hennepin County. Backyard flock infections should not impact international poultry trade, in accordance with standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
MBOAH advises poultry producers to immediately contact their veterinarian if they you have a flock exhibiting any clinical signs of influenza, such as a drop in water consumption or increased mortality, or possible exposure to birds with the disease.
Since the beginning of September, HPAI cases have also been confirmed in commercial poultry flocks in California and Ohio, as well as in Alberta, Canada. The largest of those affected flocks was the case in Ohio, where 3 million laying hens in Defiance County were affected.
To learn more about HPAI cases in North American commercial poultry flocks, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.
Read our ongoing coverage of the global avian influenza outbreak.
