Bird flu has recently spread to several farms in the U.S.’s top turkey-producing state and now health officials in Minnesota have announced that two more farms have become infected with the lethal strain.
The Star Tribune reported that the highly lethal H5N2 avian flu strain struck a flock of around 76,000 turkeys in the county of Stearns, making it the third outbreak in that county alone. The total number of farms infected in the state now stands at seven.
The names of the farms and their exact locations will not be released, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed that the risk to humans is very low.
Officials said they believe the flu was spread to the birds by wild foul. The infected turkeys can die in as little as 48 hours and surviving birds are being quarantined.
The Associated Press noted that state veterinarian Bill Hartmann has confidence the precautions taken by farmers will eliminate the flu transmission.
About 90 percent of all turkey products produced in the U.S. come from Minnesota.