A case of highly pathogenic avian flu in Minnesota was confirmed Tuesday at a Redwood County commercial turkey farm. It’s the first confirmed case in the state since April.

The case was not unexpected as the fall migration of wild birds has begun, but it comes just weeks after Minnesota was declared free of avian influenza at the end of August. This detection resets Minnesota’s response teams and will draw responders back into the fight against the costly avian influenza this fall, according to a Minnesota Board of Animal Health news release.

The Redwood County flock, around 20,000 turkeys, showed signs of increased mortality. Samples taken Sunday and submitted to the Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory on Monday tested PCR positive for influenza A and the H5 strain.

Molecular testing

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