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First case of HPAI detected in Wisconsin dairy herd

Wisconsin has been able to prevent high path avian influenza in its dairy herds, until now.

This weekend, Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection Secretary Randy Romanski confirmed the disease has been found in a Dodge County herd. “A sample from a Wisconsin dairy farm has tested positive for H5N1. That would be the first instance of that happening in the State of Wisconsin.”

Milk samples were collected Thursday and Friday and both tested positive.  Division of Food and Recreational Safety Director Adam Brock says the herd had tested negative for HPAI before. “In terms of the farm history looking back, this farm has been sampled five times since we started testing in the National Milk Testing Strategy in May. All samples to this point were negative or non-detectable.” The farm had last been tested October 16^th.

State Veterinarian Darlene Konkle says there has not been any recent animal movements onto the farm, so the source of the virus is unknown. “The cows have also been primarily healthy. The farmer did not have a reason to suspect highly pathogenic avian influenza on the farm. There’s really no appreciable increase in morbidity which is cow sickness or mortality.”

Konkle says the virus is an “A5” variety and HPAI is not usually fatal for cattle.  She says neighboring dairy farms are negative, and there are no commercial poultry flocks within ten kilometers of the affected dairy.

Romanski says USDA is sequencing the virus to further identify the strain.

A quarantine is in place and the farm is reviewing additional biosecurity measures. 

Brock says there is no food risk for humans, as pasteurization kills the virus.

Romanski says so far, Wisconsin has tested more than 24-thousand milk samples since joining in the National Milk Testing Strategy in May.