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 cases in Minnesota
The Minnesota Board of Animal Health today announced two presumptive positive flocks. The following Minnesota counties are affected:
- Kandiyohi – 32nd detection (turkeys, flock size information coming soon)
- Swift – 6th detection (turkeys, flock size information coming soon)
Current situation
Total number of affected farms – 84
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 |
|---|
| Lac Qui Parle: 1 |
Pipestone: 2 |
Swift: 6 |
|---|
| Le Sueur: 1 |
Pope: 1 |
Wadena: 1 |
|---|
Total number of birds affected in Minnesota – 5,592,932 (
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 81 of the affected premises.
- Birds on 79 of the affected farms have been euthanized.
- Composting is in progress on 69 of the affected farms. Animal health officials and producers are working on carcass disposal on other farms.
o Many of these farms are about halfway through the composting process.
- Sampled 923 backyard flocks falling within the control areas of affected farms.
Avian influenza and biosecurity information
The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers tools for the media, educational handouts on biosecurity, videos and posters to aid in the fight against avian influenza. Please
visit their website for more information.
Poultry and eggs are safe to eat
When eating and preparing eggs and poultry, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture reminds consumers to:
- Handle poultry products properly. Keep clean; wash hands, and clean and sanitize work surfaces and equipment.
- Separate raw and cooked meat; avoid cross-contamination.
- Cook meat thoroughly to an internal temperature of 165⁰F.
- Chill; keep and store food at 40 °F (4.4 ºC) or below and the freezer at 0 °F (-17.7 ºC) or below.
- Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm and ensure any dishes containing eggs are cooked to 160 °F.
- Use pasteurized eggs for dishes where eggs are raw or undercooked when they are consumed.
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 76 flocks.
- MDH is currently monitoring 90 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 180 people associated with 51 flocks; no infections with this virus were detected.
Recovery planning
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is teaming up with the University of Minnesota Extension Service and MnSCU Farm Business Management to begin planning for the recovery phase. The group is developing a plan to help producers with cash flow issues, loan applications and connecting them with resources. They will also explore other ways to assist producers once their barns are cleared from quarantine.
DNR awaiting final results of waterfowl samples
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) continues to receive laboratory results from its wild-bird sampling. More than 2,800 waterfowl test results have been received so far and none have tested positive for H5N2; about 300 test results are still pending. Sampling of live waterfowl may continue this summer during the DNR’s waterfowl-banding season.
Staff continue to test wild bird carcasses and hunter-harvested wild turkeys. Thirty-seven wild bird carcasses of various species have been collected and 71 hunter-harvest wild turkeys have been sampled. No hunter-harvested wild turkeys have tested positive for H5N2 and only one wild-bird carcass, a Cooper’s hawk, has test positive.
The agency recently completed a two-and-half minute video describing how DNR staff have collected the more than 3,000 waterfowl fecal samples and how those samples will hopefully add to the state’s knowledge of the virus impacting the poultry industry. The video can be viewed on the
DNR’s avian influenza web site.
Hotline information• General questions about avian influenza and biosecurity: 888-702-9963
• Report sick or dead poultry: 320-214-6700 Ext. 3804
• Report sick or dead wild birds: 888-646-6367 (DNR)
• Movement permits into/within/out of the control zones: 651-201-6817 or use the
online permit request form 
