Three avian influenza control zone quarantines released in Jefferson County

MADISON -- The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced Tuesday, June 9th that, after extensive surveillance and testing for avian influenza, the quarantines on poultry premises in control zones within 6.2 miles (10 km) of three farms in Jefferson County are now released. There have been no new detections of HPAI in Wisconsin since May 4.

 Since the first detection in Jefferson County on April 13, DATCP successfully implemented a coordinated response with the facility owners, USDA, and other state agencies to contain and eliminate the disease at those sites. The affected farms were immediately quarantined and the 1.1 million birds in the flocks were depopulated. 

While the control zone quarantines have been lifted, the infected farms themselves remain quarantined until further notice.  They must undergo a cleaning and disinfection process before being released from quarantine and authorized to repopulate their flocks.

“This is the third control zone quarantine release that we’ve done, but as long as positive flocks are still being reported in states to our West we still need to be closely watching birds for signs of illness,” says Dr. Paul McGraw, Wisconsin State Veterinarian.  “As long as this virus might still be in the environment, it could be problematic.”

All bird owners, whether commercial producers or backyard enthusiasts, need to continue practicing good biosecurity, preventing contact between their birds and wild birds, and reporting sick birds or unusual bird deaths to your veterinarian and the DATCP’s Animal Health division at 1-800-572-8981.

Additional information and resources concerning avian influenza can be found on DATCP’s web site at datcp.wi.gov.