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HPAI cases in Wisconsin commercial poultry increasing 

A northwest Wisconsin commercial turkey flock has been confirmed with highly pathogenic avian influenza near the Minnesota border.

More than 18,500 birds at a Burnett County farm have been affected and a ten-kilometer control area quarantine is now in effect to prevent disease spread.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services confirmed the first case of H5 in a human last week in Barron County in a worker exposed to an infected flock. The department and county public health entities continue to monitor exposed farm workers for HPAI symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 65 cases of the virus in humans this year across nine states, with more than half reported in California after exposure to infected dairy cattle. Nearly all cases have been linked to dairy or poultry farms that were positive for the virus.

In the past week, commercial poultry outbreaks have also been confirmed in five other states, including Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri.

In the last 30 days, the USDA says 65 commercial flocks in the U.S. have tested positive for the virus and more than 16 million birds have been affected. The agency also reports 225 confirmed cases in dairy cattle over that period, mostly in California.