Burnett County Sees Positive Bird Flu Test in Commercial Flock

Burnett County has its first positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza just days after the first human case in Barron County.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the case was identified in a commercial poultry flock this week. The DATCP and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are working to halt the spread by depopulating the flock, not allowing the facility to move poultry or poultry products, and monitoring any workers who may have come into contact with the infected birds.

The news of the Burnett County positive test comes about one week after the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced the first positive human case of bird flu in Barron County. Officials say the worker who tested positive for the bird flu had been in contact with the first flock to produce a positive test in the state. As in the Burnett County case, the infected Barron County poultry flock was depopulated and all of the workers are being monitored for the virus.

The virus does not spread as easily from animals to humans, and typically requires someone to come into direct contact with the infected birds. It produces flu-like symptoms in humans including a fever, muscle aches, or eye infection, but is not as fatal as it is for the bird population.

As the virus spreads across the continent, health agencies are implementing new testing standards and regulations. With multiple positive tests in Wisconsin, poultry flocks and cattle will be subject to increased testing especially when being displayed at a fair or traveling across state lines.