The Minnesota Board of Health is keeping a close watch on incoming reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, during the spring migration season.
Dr. Shauna Voss says despite HPAI being reported in Minnesota goat kids, dairy cattle in 6 states, and a human in Texas, there’s still a lot they don’t understand…“For example, how it’s transmitting and epidemiological lengths between all those farms, if they’re all connected or if they’re separate introductions. Some of that information is still being rolled out and we’re still learning about that.”
She says this is the time of year when poultry producers need to maintain their bio-security efforts as wild birds migrate back to the northern states…“We know they’re out there flying out and about and increases the risk of transmission of the virus into our poultry flocks.”
Dr. Voss says while HPAI is always fatal to turkeys and chickens, no dairy cattle have died, and the affected human was treated for an eye infection and has since recovered.
(content: courtesy MNN)
