USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) has now confirmed the presence of H5N1 (the virus known to cause highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry (HPAI) in dairy herds in Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas. Access the full list of H5N1 detections in livestock.

DATCP is closely monitoring this issue with state and federal counterparts. DATCP recently launched a H5N1 in Cattle webpage to provide biosecurity, worker health, and other resources.

If you or members of your network are interested in receiving updates from DATCP related to this topic, please sign up for the list titled “H5N1 (known to cause HPAI in poultry) Updates Related to Cattle” here: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (govdelivery.com).

As a reminder, DATCP encourages producers that notice unusual clinical signs in their cattle to work with their herd veterinarian. To report herds with unexplained symptoms, veterinarians should contact DATCP at (608) 224-4872 (business hours) or (800) 943-0003 (after hours and weekends). 

Wisconsin does not currently have any movement restrictions on cattle coming from states or counties impacted by this condition; however, cattle entering the state must meet import requirements. Animals included on the certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) should not be known to be infected with or exposed to contagious diseases, or showing signs of contagious or infectious disease, including H5N1 or HPAI. Understanding of this disease continues to evolve and requirements may be updated as new information is received. Current import rules for cattle can be found on the DATCP: Cattle & Bison Movement webpage.

Per USDA, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or consumer health as products are pasteurized prior to entering the market. Pasteurization has been proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. DATCP encourages producers to practice good biosecurity, including minimizing animal movements and isolating new additions to the herd. 

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Division of Animal Health
https://datcp.wi.gov