Three Midwest states report 14 more H5N2 outbreaks

Tuesday, May 5, 2015
By Paul Martin

Robert Roos
CIDRAP News
May 04, 2015

Officials in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin today reported a total of 14 more confirmed or probable H5N2 avian flu outbreaks on turkey and chicken farms, undermining hopes that warm spring weather would slow the virus’s spread.

Minnesota reported eight outbreaks, including two in previously untouched counties and one on a farm housing more than 1 million chickens. Iowa, the nation’s leader in egg production, revealed four probable outbreaks, three of them on turkey farms, while Wisconsin had two.

Agriculture officials have been saying that warmer weather with the advancing spring should slow the H5N2 virus, which does not survive as well in warm conditions. But so far the pathogen seems to be defying such expectations.

Minnesota incidents
The two newly affected counties in Minnesota are Nicollet, which is about 50 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, and Renville, which is just northwest of Nicollet. The Nicollet outbreak involves a farm with 1,102,900 chickens, while the Renville farm holds 12,900 turkeys, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) said in today’s update.

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