Dairy cows in Texas and Kansas test positive for bird flu

U.S. authorities announced Monday that milk taken from dairy cows in Texas and Kansas has tested positive for avian influenza.

Officials with the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed that the influenza virus, strain A H5N1, has been known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and occasionally infect humans. In these states and New Mexico, the virus is affecting older dairy cows, causing reduced milk production and decreased appetite.

The move comes a week after Minnesota officials announced that goats on a farm that had been experiencing an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry had been diagnosed with the virus. This is believed to be the first time that avian influenza, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, has been detected in livestock in the United States.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the commercial milk supply is safe and the risk to people is low. Dairy manufacturers should only allow milk from healthy animals into their dairy products. food Supplies are in short supply and milk from sick animals is being diverted or thrown away. The process is required for milk sold through interstate commerce because pasteurization also kills viruses and other bacteria, officials said.

“At this time, there are no concerns about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this situation poses a risk to the health of consumers,” the Department of Agriculture said in a statement.

The federal government said tests on cattle found no changes in the virus that could make it easier to spread to humans.

Texas dairy farmers first became concerned three weeks ago when their cows started contracting what officials are calling a “mystery dairy cow disease,” Texas Department of Agriculture Secretary Sid Miller said. said Department of Agriculture Secretary Sid Miller. .

“I had never seen anything like this before,” he said. “It felt like I had a cold.”

The state Animal Health Board has begun an investigation that includes testing for avian influenza, spokeswoman Erin Robinson said. Based on the findings in Texas, USDA officials believe the cows contracted the virus from infected wild birds.

Experts say the animals appear to recover on their own within seven to 10 days. This is different from avian influenza outbreaks in poultry, where the flock must be killed to remove the virus. Approximately 80 million birds have been lost from U.S. commercial flocks since 2022 due to outbreaks.

So far, the virus appears to be infecting about 10% of lactating cows in the affected herds, said the food animal veterinarian and Western Institute for Food Safety and Security at the University of California, Davis. said Michael Payne, a biosecurity expert.

“This looks nothing like high-passage influenza in bird flocks,” he said.

Avian influenza was detected in unsterilized clinical samples taken from sick cows from two dairy farms in Kansas and one dairy farm in Texas. The virus was also detected in nose and throat swabs from another Texas dairy.

Officials said the situation was evolving rapidly. Officials from three states are also involved, as well as the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Iowa, another dairy-rich state, said it was monitoring the situation.

Dairy industry officials say producers have implemented enhanced biosecurity efforts at U.S. farms, including limiting the amount of movement on and off the premises and restricting visits by employees and essential personnel. It is said that it has started.

Prof Payne pointed out that avian influenza has so far been reported in 48 different mammalian species, adding: “It was probably only a matter of time before avian influenza spread to ruminants.”

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