ST. PAUL, Minn., April 24 (UPI) -- Minnesota declared a state of emergency and began expediting antiviral prescriptions to workers as a quick-spreading strain of avian flu continues to wipe out birds across the country.
The highly pathogenic H5N2 bird flu has decimated more than 40 poultry farms in the state, affecting some 2.6 million birds in Minnesota in the past weeks. Wisconsin declared a state of emergency earlier this week and nearly a dozen other states are battling the virus, including Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.
Minnesota officials said this is the first time in recent memory the state called an agricultural emergency. Emergencies are typically declared after tornadoes, floods and other disasters.
"We will do whatever is necessary..." said Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton. "This is a rapidly moving target."
Related
The state of emergency establishes a formal procedure for federal and state officials to battle the flu outbreak and makes resources available, including the possibility of calling out the National Guard.
Experts believe the H5N2 virus is being carried to the United States by migrating Asian waterfowl. The disease kills chickens and turkeys quickly. Once a flock is infected, all the birds must be destroyed to stop the spread of the virus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates more than 7 million birds in the country have been slaughtered due to the virus.
So far, 87 people in Minnesota have been identified as those who have handled the birds. Of them, 70 are taking Tamiflu, an antiviral medication that can quell human influenza. There is no evidence people can catch H5N2.
"We haven't seen any human cases," Kristen Ehresmann, infectious disease specialist at the Minnesota Department of Health, told NBC News. "It's entirely possible. We just haven't seen a case yet."
Monday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak. Tens of thousands of chickens and turkeys have been destroyed as a result of the virus.
