9th Minnesota Turkey Farm Hit By Deadly Bird Flu Strain

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Federal authorities have now confirmed that a ninth Minnesota turkey farm has been hit by a form of bird flu that's deadly to poultry.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says tests confirmed the virus in a large operation in Meeker County of central Minnesota that has 310,000 turkeys.

Minnesota Board of Animal health spokeswoman Erica Gunderson says the operation has 10 barns on a variety of sites. She didn't know how many birds were in the infected barn.

Gunderson says state officials will be working to determine what to do with the turkeys in the other barns.

Before this discovery, Minnesota turkey farms had lost about 373,000 birds to the outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N2 bird flu strain.

Officials say the risk to the public is low.