UPDATE 3:15 pm 12/18/24 — The Wisconsin Department of Health Services confirms a human in Barron County has presumptively tested positive for Avian Influenza (HPAI).
This is the first positive bird flu case detected in Wisconsin. DHS says the individual was exposed to an infected flock.
DHS is monitoring farm workers who may have been exposed to the virus. Risk to the general public is low. Anyone who works with infected birds, poultry, or cows, or has recreational exposure to them is at higher risk.
Bird flu symptoms in people include sore throat, fever, muscle aches, cough and eye infections.
MADISON, Wis. — Bird flu has been identified in a backyard poultry flock in Kenosha County. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection says the case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) does not pose a threat to the general public.
The infected birds are being removed from the flock, and birds from this flock will not enter the food system.
From DATCP:
When HPAI H5N1 is diagnosed in a Wisconsin poultry flock, a control area is established within a 10 kilometer area around the infected premises, restricting movement on or off any premises with poultry. To help producers determine if their poultry are located within an active control area or surveillance zone, poultry owners are encouraged to use DATCP’s mapping tool.
DATCP and the Centers for Disease Control recommend properly cooking eggs and poultry to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the virus.
