Wisconsin reports its first human case of bird flu
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Wisconsin has identified its first human case of the bird flu.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Wednesday that it had detected presumptive positive human case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A, or H5N1 in Barron County.
Barron County is located in the northwestern part of Wisconsin—north of Eau Claire and Menomonie, and about an hour and 45 minutes outside of Minneapolis.
The Wisconsin DHS said the human case followed an infected flock of commercial poultry in the same county. The person who contracted the disease had contact with the flock.
The state DHS and Barron County Health and Human Services are monitoring farm workers who were exposed and informing them on how to protect their health. The DHS said the risk to the general public in Wisconsin is low.
Bird flu has also been found in a part of Wisconsin closer to Chicago—though not with any human cases involved. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said they found H5N1 in a backyard poultry flock in Kenosha County, CBS 58 Milwaukee reported.
This news from Wisconsin came the same day as a person in Louisiana was confirmed to have the first severe illness caused by bird flu in the U.S. This person was found to have had exposure to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks, though an investigation into the source of the infection in the state is ongoing.
Also Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a State of Emergency proclamation over bird flu concerns. This came after more bird flu cases were detected in Southern California dairy cows, the governor's office stated.
"This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak," Newsom said in a statement.
Mild illnesses have been seen in dairy and poultry workers who had close contact with infected animals. In two cases, no known source of the illnesses have been identified, which has worried infectious disease experts about the possibility of human-to-human transmission, which could trigger a pandemic.