Minnesota records third infection of bird flu in commercial poultry

Bird flu in the US has spread further, with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirming the third infection of a virulent strain of avian flu in a commercial poultry flock in Minnesota, the largest producer of turkey in the US.

As cited in the Guardian, the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed that the infection had spread to a flock of 39,000 turkeys in Stearns County, central Minnesota. Thousands of turkeys were also killed at two other farms, in Pope and Lac qui Parle counties, western Minnesota.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health said that the Stearns County farm had been quarantined, and the remaining turkeys will be killed and kept out of the food supply.

According to the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, Stearns County is the state’s second largest turkey-producing county, coming in after Kandiyohi County in western Minnesota, where the virus has not yet been reported.

Stearns County is also one of the state’s top chicken and egg producers.

Around 40 countries have banned poultry imports from Minnesota following the first detection of the flu.

Apart from Minnesota, the strain has also been found in states including Arkansas and Oregon, which led to import ban from leading poultry producers, including Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride and Sanderson Farms.

The USDA also announced last week that it is working on the development of a vaccine to prevent the flu from spreading further, though currently the department does not intend to make it available commercially.

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Image: The USDA has said that the third infection of a virulent strain of avian flu has spread to Minnesota which is the largest producer of turkey in the US. Photo: courtesy of papaija2008/freedigitalphotos.net.