After a statewide test of dairy milk by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, they have confirmed a strain of bird flu in a dairy herd in Stearns County.
The Board of Animal Health has quarantined the herd until they test negative. The organization is stressing that there is no concern for the safety of the public milk supply.
“While under quarantine, the herd will be able to apply for movement permits for animals and animal products such as waste milk and manure. Milk sold for pasteurization does not need a permit and is allowed to go to processing to facilitate business while keeping the risk of the spread of disease low,” said State Veterinarian, Dr. Brian Hoefs. “Our surveillance and response approach to H5N1 is a team effort to ensure we’re covering all angles where it’s detected and limiting its ability to spread.”
The state says it will continue to test Minnesota's 1,600 dairy farms on a monthly basis as they monitor the virus.
"Identifying which dairy herds are infected is important so we can prevent disease spread and protect both animal and human health," MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen said. "Regular sampling and testing will allow the MDA and partners to identify where the virus is present, monitor trends, and prevent spread of the virus in order to protect unaffected dairy herds and poultry flocks."
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) also monitors the health of people who have direct contact with infected animals or their environment and provides public health recommendations to help reduce the risk for infection.
Despite the positive test in another herd of dairy cows, the risk to humans from bird flu remains low.
So far, the CDC is reporting 70 cases of bird flu being transferred to humans nationwide. Every case has been a person tied to a poultry or dairy farm. No human cases have been reported in Minnesota, but there has been one in Wisconsin and one in Iowa with no known spreading of the virus person-to-person.