The detection was verified in a yard combined flock in Le Sueur County of south-central Minnesota, the board said. The website was quarantined and the 114 birds on the properties — mainly chickens — were destroyed to avoid the spread of the illness.
Minnesota’s last previous detection remained in a yard flock in Redwood County of southwestern Minnesota in December.
“We were fortunate to get a reprieve from the virus during the past few months,” Dr. Shauna Voss, the board’s senior poultry vet, said in a declaration. “We’ve been anticipating the return of the virus and are recalling our partner resources back to the fight. We continue to call on anyone who owns birds to stand up their biosecurity, especially during these next couple months.”
The break out started in 2015, increasing egg and poultry rates, and requiring the massacre of more than 58 million birds throughout the nation to restrict the spread of the infection. With the break out entering its 2nd year, and the spring migratory season for wild birds looming, there is no end in sight. And there is little farmers can do beyond the actions they have actually already taken to attempt to keep the infection out.
Officials state bird influenza doesn’t represent a substantial risk to human health.
