MINNEAPOLIS – Authorities have reported an outbreak of benign bird flu in turkeys in Kandiyohi County in west-central Minnesota.

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said routine surveillance tests had confirmed Monday the presence of a low pathogenic N5N2 virus in a herd of 40,000 turkeys in the main turkey-producing county from Minnesota. The virus is native to wild birds.

Previous coverage against bird flu

The affected herd was quarantined but showed no signs of disease. The farm will be allowed to market the birds.

The virus is different from the highly pathogenic H5N2 virus that caused a massive outbreak of turkeys and chickens in the United States in 2015, killing nearly 50 million birds. Iowa and Minnesota were the most affected states. The outbreak has led to increased biosecurity in poultry farms.

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