ST PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (HSEM) activated the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to coordinate the state’s ongoing response to avian influenza. HSEM will coordinate resource needs with several state agencies including the Minnesota Board of Animal Health and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Additional HPAI case in Minnesota
- Swift – 7th detection (turkeys, flock size information coming soon)
Current situation
Total number of affected farms – 85
Total number of counties – 21
Farms by county/Number of flocks
| Clay: 1 |
Nicollet: 1 |
Roseau: 1 |
|---|
| Cottonwood: 2 |
Nobles: 1 |
Stearns: 14 |
|---|
| Kandiyohi: 32 |
Otter Tail: 3 |
Steele: 1 |
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| Lac Qui Parle: 1 |
Pipestone: 2 |
Swift: 7 |
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| Le Sueur: 1 |
Pope: 1 |
Wadena: 1 |
|---|
Total number of birds affected in Minnesota – 5,661,932 (not including pending flocks)
All affected farms remain under quarantine.
Visit the
USDA's website for information on all HPAI findings in the United States.
To date, animal health officials have completed the following response zone activities:
- Appraisals have been approved for 84 of the affected premises.
- Birds on 82 of the affected farms have been euthanized.
- Composting is in progress on 79 of the affected farms. Animal health officials and producers are working on carcass disposal on other farms.
o Many of these farms are about half way through the composting process.
- 1,098 backyard flocks falling within the control areas of affected farms have completed their first round of mandatory surveillance testing. Out of the test results received to date, only one backyard flock in Minnesota has tested positive for HPAI.
o 54 of these flocks have completed the second round of sampling. The test results received thus far have been negative.
Personnel responding to HPAI
- State of Minnesota employees – 83
- USDA employees – 101
o These individuals come to our assistance from 36 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico
• Total: 184
No public health risk
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reports that no human infections with this strain of the virus (H5N2) have been detected in Minnesota or elsewhere in the U.S. However, in some cases certain HPAI H5 viruses can infect people and it is important to prevent infections.
In general, avian influenza viruses are spread to people through direct contact with infected birds or their environments, including contaminated bedding, feed or water. Person-to-person spread of avian influenza viruses is rare and limited.
This is not a public health risk or a food safety risk. The potential risk is for those who have direct contact with infected birds.
Poultry workers
MDH is monitoring the health of workers, who have had contact with infected poultry, and providing guidance on infection control, the use of personal protective equipment, and providing support for any other health-related aspects of response.
- People who had close, unprotected contact with infected flocks are recommended to receive an antiviral drug called Tamiflu. MDH does not issue the drug directly. Rather, MDH facilitates getting the prescription for the workers by working with the company occupational health departments or the health care providers for those individuals.
- Workers are then contacted daily for 10 days and monitored for development of respiratory symptoms.
- As of today, MDH has completed follow-up contacts for 79 flocks.
- MDH is currently monitoring 49 poultry personnel for potential symptoms of infection, such as development of an eye infection or respiratory symptoms.
- The MDH 10-day monitoring period has been completed for 243 people associated with 67 flocks; no infections with this virus were detected.
