(KNSI) — The Minnesota Board of Animal Health says the H5N1 Influenza virus has been found at a Stearns County dairy for the second time.
The state says the virus was detected through samples collected under the milk surveillance plan. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Labs verified the results Friday, and the herd is under quarantine until it meets testing requirements, which shows the infection has cleared. They say there is no concern for public milk safety as all milk sold commercially undergoes pasteurization, which has been proven to eliminate active H5N1, along with other viruses and bacteria.
This particular herd was previously infected in July 2024.
State Veterinarian Dr. Brian Hoefs says “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. 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.”
Dairy farms must always dispose of milk from sick animals to prevent it from entering the milk supply. In addition to isolating affected cows and discarding their milk, quarantined farms must achieve three consecutive negative milk tests before the quarantine is lifted.
When a positive detection happens, the Board of Animal Health is notified and dispatches a case manager to the affected farm to issue a quarantine and guide the producer through the response process. The Minnesota Department of Health also monitors the health of those in direct contact with infected animals or environments, offering public health guidance, testing, antiviral medications, and personal protective equipment as needed. State officials say for now, the risk to the general public remains low, with the highest risk posed to the ones working closely with infected animals.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture conducts monthly testing on raw, pre-pasteurized milk from Minnesota’s approximately 1,600 dairy farms. The bulk milk samples, collected before pasteurization, are subsampled by industry labs and tested for H5N1 at the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota.
The Board of Animal Health will provide updates on new detections and cow cases in Minnesota on its website.
Researchers from the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine received a $1.5 million cooperative agreement grant from the Department of Agriculture to work on collaborative projects aimed at understanding disease transmission and mitigating the impacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on dairy herds and the broader agricultural industry.
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