First Human Case of Avian Flu Detected in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has reported its first human case of the highly contagious avian flu, marking a significant development in the state’s public health landscape.
This presumptive positive case was announced by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services on Wednesday in Barron County. The case was identified by state health officials and is awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (source).
The affected individual had been in contact with a commercial turkey farm in Barron County, which was reported as infected by state agriculture authorities last week. Health officials are now closely monitoring farm workers who may have been exposed to the virus. Despite the detection, the Department of Health Services has stated that the risk to the general public is low.
According to the CDC, there have been 61 confirmed human cases of avian flu across the United States this year. Most of these cases stem from workers on dairy farms, with only a third linked to poultry farm workers. The virus was initially reported in cattle in Texas and Kansas earlier in March. Notably, Wisconsin has not recorded any avian flu cases in dairy cows.
In a related development, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection disclosed a new case of avian flu found in a backyard poultry flock in Kenosha County (source).
Before the recent incidents, Wisconsin had been free of avian flu cases since January. However, the virus has persisted in circulating among wild birds and domestic poultry across other Midwest states.
