Bird flu discovered in Meeker County commercial turkey flock

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Board of Health on Wednesday announced that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) - also known as bird flu - has been discovered in a Meeker County commercial turkey flock.

State officials say samples were tested over the weekend at the Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory and confirmed to be HPAI by the U.S. Department of Agriculture lab Tuesday evening.

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Testing was prompted after bird mortality increased in the flock last weekend. Following test results, the flock was "immediately quarantined and has since been depopulated" in order to stop the spread of the disease, the health board said.

"While the timing of this detection is a bit sooner than we anticipated, we have been preparing for a resurgence of the avian influenza we dealt with this spring," Senior Veterinarian Dr. Shauna Voss said. "HPAI is here and biosecurity is the first line of defense to protect your birds."

The health board says poultry from the infected flock will not enter the food system, and that this strain of bird flu is low risk to the public.

Flock owners are advised to review biosecurity measures to maintain the health of their birds.