Updated: 08/05/2009 10:38 PM KSTP.com | 
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Minn. Quarantines Turkey Flock Due to Bird Flu
Read More About Avian Flu
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A commercial turkey flock in central Minnesota's Meeker County has been quarantined after routine testing discovered a strain of bird flu.
The state Board of Animal Health says the strain was H7N9, not the more lethal H5N1 that has caused problems in birds and humans mostly in Asia.
The board says the virus isn't a threat unless it mutates.
The birds appeared healthy and showed no signs of infection and there's no sign of illness among farm workers. The board is following the state's containment plan by quarantining the flock and all other flocks within three miles. They will be repeatedly tested for the virus for six weeks.
Dale Lauer, a veterinarian and the board's assistant director, says it's not uncommon to find the bird flu virus in domestic poultry flocks and Minnesota turkey remains safe.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
