Minnesota reported its first highly pathogenic avian flu outbreaks, affecting flocks in three counties, as three more states—Colorado, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania—reported their first detections in waterfowl.
Also, four earlier affected states reported more outbreaks in poultry, part of activity involving the Eurasian H5N1 strain. The development in Minnesota lifts the number of states reporting poultry outbreaks in 2022 to 18. So far, the outbreaks have led to the loss of about 14.4 million birds.
Expanding Midwest foothold
In a Mar 26 announcement, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said one Minnesot outbreak occurred at a commercial turkey farm in Meeker County, located about 67 miles west of Minneapolis. The second outbreak struck a backyard flock in Mower County, located in southeastern Minnesota on the Iowa border.
In addition, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) reported a third outbreak at a turkey farm in Stearns County, which neighbors Meeker County to the north. So far, the outbreaks have affected 313,017 birds, of which 289,000 were at the Meeker County farm.
The outbreaks are Minnesota's first highly pathogenic events since 2015. Minnesota officials said that, in the Meeker County outbreak, farm operators noticed an increase in turkey deaths and depression symptoms. They added that the Mower County farmer also notice an increase in deaths in the backyard flock, which included chickens, ducks, and geese.
Outbreaks in Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, South Dakota
In related developments, four states that reported earlier outbreaks reported more detections on farms and in backyard flocks.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said the virus struck a commercial pullet farm in Franklin County, which is in the north central part of the state. So far, Iowa has reported seven outbreaks.
Michigan reported two more outbreaks in backyard flocks, raising its total to three, according to the APHIS poultry outbreak page. In the latest events, the virus struck a holding in Macomb County, which covers the northeast part of Detroit and its suburbs. The premises keeps 86 mixed-species birds. The other outbreak is in Monroe County, in the state's southeast corner on the Ohio border, at a facility that houses 175 mixed-species birds.
In Nebraska, officials reported two more outbreaks, bringing its total to four. One involves a commercial broiler farm in Butler County that houses 417,000 chickens. Butler County is in the east central part of the state, about 50 miles west of Omaha. The other location is a small backyard mixed flock in Holt County in the north central region.
Elsewhere, South Dakota reported its twelfth outbreak, which involves a commercial turkey farm housing 45,000 birds in Jerauld County, in the east central part of the state, according to APHIS.
First waterfowl detections in 3 states
Three more states reported their first detections in wild birds, according the APHIS wild bird detection page, which now lists 472 such events since January.
In Colorado, tests on six geese found dead in Sedgwick County were positive for H5N1. Sedgwick County is in the far northeast corner of the state on the Nebraska border.
North Dakota's first detection involves a snow goose found dead in Burleigh County, which is in the central part of the state and includes Bismarck.
Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Game Commission on Mar 25 reported that the virus was detected in a wild bald eagle found dead in East Marlborough Township in Chester County, just west of Philadelphia.
Source : umn.edu