ROCHESTER — Extra precautions are in place for some livestock headed to county fairs in Minnesota, including the Olmsted County Fair, which begins Monday, July 22. "Of all the species that come, it's expected that all of them will only come as healthy animals," said Dr. Cindy Wolf, veterinarian for the Olmsted County Fair.
The caution comes from the spread of the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as bird flu. It's a contagious disease that can spread among wild and domestic birds, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health. The disease is typically fatal for birds, and farmed flocks that test positive for the virus are usually culled to prevent the spread of the disease.
Bird flu has gained more attention in 2024 because of the H5N1 strain's jump to cattle and humans. In March, a Minnesota goat tested positive for H5N1, the first detection of the disease in U.S.
livestock. Days later, the U.S.
reported its first cases in dairy cows. To date, 156 dairy herds in 13 states, including Minnesota, have been affected by H5N1. Since then, four U.
S. residents have contracted the bird flu virus after working with dairy cows. Four poultry workers in Colorado also tested positive for the virus this month.
ADVERTISEMENT "It is still considered low risk to the public," said Dr. Katie Cornille, a senior veterinarian at the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. "But just this year, with it existing and having cases in Minnesota in both poultry and dairy cattle, we want to just take extra measures to protect those species in these situations where a lot of different animals are coming from a lot of different places to one location.
" Olmsted County has had one recent bird flu outbreak — it was discovered in December 2023 in a flock of 14,400 commercial turkey breeder hens. Neighboring Dodge County has had three outbreaks since 2022, all in turkey meat bird and breeder flocks, according to the USDA. There have not been any reported cases of H5N1 infection in cattle in Olmsted County.
Last month, the state animal health board rolled out new testing requirements for lactating dairy cows that will be attending exhibitions, including fairs. "Any cow that is currently milking that's going to come to the fair, whether it's 4-H or open class, has to have a test for H5N1 within the week preceding the fair," Wolf said. Those cows also must have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.
For that certificate, Wolf said farm veterinarians go to the farm itself and evaluates the health of the animals. "Then that (certificate) accompanies the cow to the fair, and then I as the fair vet review that when the cow arrives at the fair and I say, 'Yep, she's fine to come to the fair,'" Wolf said. Wolf will be busy on Monday, as all 4-H livestock and some open class livestock arrive at the fairgrounds that day.
Certain open class animals, such as beef cattle and horses, get there later in the week. "I look at every animal and make sure, one, that it's healthy," Wolf said. "I'm looking for any kind of situation .
.. that it's not healthy, like a runny nose, droopy ears suggesting it has a fever or just feels poorly.
" ADVERTISEMENT She is also on the lookout for diseases that could be transmitted to humans. Wolf said a common one is ringworm, a fungal infection of the skin. "Not only do I look on Monday, but I look at all the animals every day because being at a fair is a change for that animal, and so sometimes animals do get sick at fairs," Wolf said.
"Then we, most likely, send them home." Wolf didn't have a number for how many animals are at the Olmsted County Fair in a given year, but the species range from chickens, ducks and rabbits to goats, sheep, alpacas, llamas, cattle and horses. Although the focus is on H5N1 this year, Cornille said the animal health board is always emphasizing the importance of biosecurity.
"We want exhibitors and exhibition managers to be aware of the inherent risks that there are when a lot of different animals are brought to one place," Cornille said. For fairgoers, Wolf said it is important to wash hands often, especially after touching animals. And if a person has a cold or is otherwise sick, the fair is not the place to be.
"There are a lot of handwashing stations strategically positioned all around the barn," Wolf said. Avoid eating around the animals, too — Wolf said seeing the livestock and enjoying fair foods should be separate activities. ADVERTISEMENT The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "believes the current risk to the general public from bird flu viruses is low," but those who are in contact with birds or livestock are at an increased risk.
Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in June that the country's commercial dairy products are safe, as pasteurization inactivates the H5N1 virus in milk.
In both cattle and humans, H5N1 appears to cause milder symptoms. The four poultry workers in Colorado who were recently diagnosed with bird flu reported irritated eyes, sore throats, runny noses, coughing, chills and fever, per the Associated Press..
