Bird flu detected in Stearns County dairy herd, Minnesota officials say
H5N1, also known as bird flu, has been found in a Stearns County dairy herd, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA).
Authorities say the virus was detected in samples collected as part of the state's milk surveillance plan, which
launched last month
.
The Board of Animal Health has quarantined the Stearns County herd until they meet testing requirements showing it's no longer infected.
"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," said state veterinarian Dr. Brian Hoefs.
MDA says there is no concern for the safety of the public milk supply. All milk sold in stores is pasteurized to kill bacteria and viruses.
Dairy farms are also required to dispose of milk from sick animals to remove it from the milk supply.
H5N1 testing is done on pre-pasteurized, or raw, cow milk collected from each of Minnesota's approximately 1,600 dairy farms monthly.
"Identifying which dairy herds are infected is important so we can prevent disease spread and protect both animal and human health," said MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) also monitors the health of people who have direct contact with infected animals or their environment.
MDH provides public health recommendations to help reduce the risk for infection, testing, antivirals and personal protective equipment, if needed.
MDA says dairy farmers should monitor their herd and contact their veterinarian immediately if cows appear sick.
This is the first time bird flu has been detected since the milk surveillance program began. This is also the first time H5N1 was detected in a dairy herd
since June 2024
.
State officials say the risk to the public from bird flu currently remains low.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Avian flu fast facts: What to know about the bird flu
Avian influenza, also called avian flu or bird flu, is an illness that usually affects only birds. There are many different strains of avian flu: 16 H subtypes and 9 N subtypes. Only those labeled H5, H7 and H10 have caused deaths in humans. The most commonly seen and most deadly form of the virus is called 'Influenza A (H5N1),' or the 'H5N1 virus.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Migratory birds develop antibodies to bird flu, officials say
(WAVY) – Wildlife officials are keeping a close eye on the spread of avian influenza after along the North Carolina coast earlier this year — most of them brown pelicans. The outbreak has since been linked to the H5N1 strain of bird flu, a virus that continues to mutate and occasionally jump to other species, raising concern among experts. Miranda Turner, a wildlife health biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said the area is a prime wintering ground for birds — making it easier for disease to spread. 'When you bring a lot of animals together and you have them traveling from different locations, it's a really good way to transmit diseases,' Turner said. In Hampton Roads, bird flu outbreaks aren't new. Lisa Barlow, president of T recalls treating sick and dying Canada geese during a 2021 outbreak on the Lafayette River. 'We dealt with about three to four dozen Canada geese that came in sick and dying,' Barlow said. 'Only six survived the flu, and even those had to be euthanized due to severe neurological symptoms.' Barlow described birds arriving unable to hold their heads up, their beaks caked in mud. Many died within 24 hours. As the virus continues to affect wildlife, it's not just birds at risk. , including seals, cats and even cattle. Experts say it's mutated at least several times since it was first identified. 'I mean, anything that can do that — it's kind of frightening, but amazing,' Barlow said. Despite the concerning spread, health officials emphasize the risk to humans remains low. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 human cases have been reported nationwide, including one death. Most infections have been among people with repeated exposure to infected animals, such as poultry or dairy farm workers. 'There's really low risk,' Turner said. 'Still, it's a good idea to clean bird feeders regularly and wear gloves or a mask if you handle injured wildlife.' Barlow also urges caution for those who come across sick birds. 'If you do want to help, wear gloves, protect yourself,' she said. 'Common sense goes a long way.' Meanwhile, as migratory birds continue to interact and spread the virus, some are developing natural antibodies, according to Turner. 'They're bouncing back and creating herd immunity,' she said. Last week, the Associated Press reported the in funding meant to support Moderna's development of a bird flu vaccine. The vaccine, which uses mRNA technology similar to the COVID-19 vaccine, had shown early promise in clinical trials. For now, wildlife officials say they expect to see more outbreaks in the years ahead, especially during peak migration periods. 'Because this virus is so common in migratory birds, it is likely that we will continue to see cases here and there every winter,' Turner said. As of right now, there have been no confirmed human cases of H5N1 in Virginia and although the risk remains low for humans, for birds it can be extremely deadly – leading to large die-off events like the ones we saw near Cape Hatteras. 'Unfortunately, this was the first kind of major large scale mortality event… while it looks really bad at that small scale of seeing 300 brown pelicans die – it's not impacting their population as a whole or the species as a whole,' adds Turner. Turner also explains that the surviving pelicans are still there, 'The brown pelicans that did survive that event were still nesting on that island successfully and are doing well. So really, it's a short scale kind of scary looking event, but nothing that raises alarm for biologists in the long term.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Bird flu can live in raw milk for more than a week, study finds
The bird flu virus can remain infectious in raw milk for over a day at room temperature and more than a week when refrigerated, according to a new, non-peer-reviewed research from a group of UK scientists. The study, published in medRxiv, examined the stability of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in raw cow and sheep milk, with researchers simulating storage conditions common in dairy settings. 'High viral titres were detected in milk from infected cows, raising concerns about onwards human infections,' the authors wrote. Scientists emphasized that pasteurization effectively kills the virus, but unpasteurized milk poses a potential risk of infection, both through occupational exposure in dairies and the consumption of raw milk. To test how long the virus remains infectious, scientists incubated the virus in pasteurized milk at room temperature and at 39.2 F, simulating both ambient dairy conditions and refrigerated storage. They also tested sheep's milk using a lab strain of avian flu. Scientists stressed that these results represent a 'worst-case scenario' and are meant to provide an 'upper-bound' estimate of how long H5N1 might survive in milk. They urged continued precautions to reduce zoonotic transmission risks. Bird flu has devastated poultry and dairy farms, and sent the price of eggs soaring in the U.S. since it was first detected in North America in late 2021. More than 12,000 individual birds have tested positive since the virus began spreading, according to the Agriculture Department. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
