MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Two poultry flocks in Jefferson County tested positive for bird flu this month, and experts say the detections are part of an outbreak Wisconsin has been battling since 2022.

State and university animal-health leaders say Wisconsin has been dealing with the same strain of avian influenza, or H5N1, for several years. The virus is highly contagious among domestic poultry and can cause sudden illness and death in birds.

The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory was activated in 2022 to help the state monitor and track the disease, testing samples from poultry and wild birds across the state. Since then, scientists there have continued running surveillance year-round as detections rise and fall with migration seasons.

“Since then, we’ve lost several 100 billion b

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