Nearly half a year after the state's last detection of the virus, avian influenza has been found in a southern Minnesota turkey flock, according to animal health officials.

The Redwood County flock "showed signs of increased mortality" over the weekend, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health said. Testing confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus, colloquially known as bird flu.

This is the first time the virus has been detected in Minnesota since April 23.

"Animal health officials and [the] industry have been working hard over the summer to eliminate the virus from quarantined sites so the state could officially declare freedom of the disease on Aug. 25, 2025," the board said. "This detection resets Minnesota's response teams and will draw responders back into the fight against avian infl

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