Sick cattle in 2 states test positive for bird flu
Sick dairy cattle in two states have tested positive for bird flu, federal officials said Monday. As of Monday, the highly contagious pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) had been found in unpasteurized, clinical samples of milk from ill cows at two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas, as well as a swab from another dairy cow in Texas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture an- nounced in a press release.
The agency said its officials – along with the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state veterinary and public health officials – are investigating.
Wild migratory birds are believed to be the source of the infection, the USDA wrote, and viral testing and epidemiologic efforts are continuing. Additional testing took place Friday and over the weekend, the USDA reported, because farms also have reported finding dead wild birds on their properties.
Based on findings from Texas, the agency wrote in the release, the detections appear to have been introduced by wild birds and the commercial milk supply “remains safe due to both federal animal health requirements and pasteurization.”
USDA: Low risk to humans
The Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the flu virus is the Type A H5N1 strain, known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and to occasionally infect people. The virus, the state agency said, is affecting older dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, as well as cattle in New Mexico, causing symptoms including decreased lactation and low appetite.
Initial testing by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories has not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans, which means the risk of the public contracting the virus remains low for now, the USDA said. Federal and state agencies said they “are moving quickly” to conduct additional bird flu testing.
“The first detection of HPAI in dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas underscores the importance of adherence to biosecurity measures, vigilance in monitoring for disease, and immediately involving your veterinarian when something seems ‘off,’ ” AMVA President Dr. Rena Carlson said. “A complete evaluation, including the collection and submission of laboratory samples and reporting to state animal health officials when appropriate, and in a timely fashion, are incredibly important.”
What is the bird flu?
The bird flu is a disease caused by a family of flu viruses primarily transmitted between birds.
Avian influenza viruses, the CDC and USDA say, are classified into two groups: Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI), often seen in wild birds, and HPAI, found mostly in domestic poultry. According to the CDC, LPAI viruses cause mild or no disease and HPAI ones cause severe disease and high mortality rates in infected birds.
The bird flu has cost the government roughly $660 million and in recent times raised the price of eggs and poultry. At least 58 million birds were slaughtered last year to limit the spread of the virus.