2.75M WI Chickens To Be Culled Because Of Bird Flu: Officials

JEFFERSON COUNTY, WI — A large flock of chickens in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, will be culled in an attempt to prevent the spread of bird flu, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said Monday.

A confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza was discovered in the flock after tests were conducted at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, officials said.

The culling of the flock will affect 2.75 million chickens, bringing the total number of chickens killed because of the bird flu in the United States since February to 6.7 million, according to Reuters.

It's the first confirmed case of the bird flu in Wisconsin since 2015, state officials said, and the outbreak follows similar outbreaks in Kansas and Illinois, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Recent detections of the bird flu do not currently present a public health concern, and no human cases of the bird flu have been detected, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The USDA recommends all poultry and eggs be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees to prevent foodborne illnesses.