A deadly strain of bird flu has been found in a Minnesota commercial turkey flock . The virus devastated a flock of 15,000 turkeys in western Minnesota 's Pope County . It 's the same highly pathogenic H5N2 strain of avian influenza that 's been confirmed in backyard and wild birds in Washington , Oregon and Idaho . However , it 's the first appearance of the strain in the Mississippi flyway [ states around the Mississippi river ] said Dr. Bill Hartmann , Minnesota 's state veterinarian . Fewer than 100 of the turkeys were still alive by Thursday , Hartmann said . The flock has been quarantined and the remaining birds were being killed . A flock of 15,000 turkeys was wiped out on a farm in Minnesota in a week by a deadly strain of bird flu carried by wild waterfowl that are not sickened by it . The strain has already been found in the Pacific Northwest . Dr. Bill Hartmann ( left ) said that this is the first appearance of the strain in the area . Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson ( right ) said : 'We can only prepare for the worst and hope for the best ' No other commercial flocks are nearby , he said , but 'backyard flocks ' within a 10-kilometer area ( approximately six miles ) were being tested for the disease . The virus is carried by wild waterfowl that are n't sickened by it . The incubation period is approximately 21 days . 'We 're encouraged that we 'll be able to prevent the spread of the disease , ' Hartmann said . 'We should be able to contain this without much difficulty . ' 'If we can get through the next 21 days without finding anything , we should be in good shape , ' Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson added . Minnesota is the nation 's top turkey producer , with industry groups claiming to produce some 46 million turkeys each year worth around $ 750 million . Frederickson said about 8 per cent of that production , or $ 92 million worth , was exported in 2013 . He acknowledged that those exports could take a hit , as poultry exports from states in the Northwest already have . 'We 're very cognizant of that , ' Frederickson said . 'We can only prepare for the worst and hope for the best . ' The risk to humans is low , state and federal officials announced on Thursday . Minnesota Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger stressed there is no danger to the general public . Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger said the only humans at risk were four people who worked directly with the infected flock and they will be monitored . However , no human infections from this strain have been detected anywhere , he said . 'There are no food safety concerns at this time , ' Ehlinger said . 'This is not a threat to the general public . ' Hartmann said he was prohibited by law from identifying the farm or saying where it 's located in Pope County . Nearly all commercial turkey operations keep their birds inside large barns and they never go outside . Hartmann said that was the true for the affected farm , too . He said turkeys in only one of the farm 's four barns got sick . Farm workers found 70 dead turkeys on February 26 and notified the state the next day when hundreds died . The state got confirmation of the virus from a U.S. Department of Agriculture lab on Wednesday night . The state veterinarian said it was possible the virus may have been tracked into the barns from fecal material left by infected wild birds . It 's also possible for infected waterfowl to transmit the virus to shore birds that might then get into a turkey barn , he added .
Authorities in Minnesota are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best as a deadly strain of bird flu wipes out a flock of Only 100 turkeys . It is the same strain of H5N2 that has been found in wild birds across Washington , Oregon and Idaho . 15,000 birds were left alive less than a week from the first deaths were reported . Officials stress that the risk to humans is low and no infections from this strain have been detected anywhere .