Two state agencies report southeastern Wisconsin’s first case of bird flu in poultry during the ongoing national avian flu outbreak.
It also marks the state’s first presumed human case of the flu, with mild symptoms.
The human case is a female farmworker in northwestern Wisconsin at the same farm in Barron County, at the same farm in Barron County where a commercial poultry flock was found infected last week.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) epidemiologist Tom Haupt said during a media call Wednesday that the woman who tested positive does not appear seriously ill.
“She had relatively mild symptoms that would be consistent with influenza—including sore throat, slight fever, some fatigue, eye discharge. The person is actually doing much better today, has finished her course of oseltamivir, and looks like is going to be making a full recovery on that," Haupt said.
Oseltamivir, often sold under the brand name Tamiflu, is used to reduce the severity of flu symptoms. The test results from the Barron County farmworker are at The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmation, possibly by Thursday afternoon. Eighteen other people who were tested are being monitored.
DHS State Public Health Veterinarian Angie Maxted says it’s best to avoid contact with ill or dead animals. If contact is necessary, she advises taking precautions.
“She advises practicing good hand hygiene, wearing protective clothing such as gloves, and using respiratory and eye protection. Follow up by cleaning and disinfecting clothing, such as coveralls and boots," Maxted told reporters.
Maxted emphasizes there has been no known human-to-human transmission of the flu virus in Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, the infected birds are in Kenosha County—88 chickens and five ducks in a backyard flock near the Illinois state line. The bird carcasses will be composted or possibly incinerated on-site if possible.
While the state says it appears only the owners of the Kenosha County flock had contact with those birds, epidemiologist Haupt advises that people exposed to infected birds be tested for the flu.
“If they have any kind of symptoms at all, even if symptoms are mild, we would like to have those people tested. They are tested at the Wisconsin State Hygiene Lab," Haupt said.
The bird flu virus, officially known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI-H5N1), is present in wild birds.
The virus has not been detected in Wisconsin dairy herds but was found in cattle in Texas earlier this year.
As of Wednesday, California declared its first statewide emergency over bird flu, partly due to infected cows.
