Health
Indiana postpones mandatory testing of dairy cows as avian flu continues to spread • Indiana Capital Chronicle
As Avian flu continues to spread Hoosier officials said dairy farmers across the U.S. closely monitor their herds, but animal testing remains largely voluntary.
So far, dozens of dairy cows in 12 states, including Michigan and Ohio, have been infected with H5N1, also known as avian flu. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):The disease has also infected at least three farm workers, marking the first confirmed case of human infection in the country.
Indiana officials said there have been no confirmed cases of H5N1 infection in cattle or humans in the state.
But detecting avian flu in cows in Indiana may not be as efficient as in other states: Indiana dairy farmers are not required to test their cows, in part because some are reluctant to report cases themselves.
Dennis Deller Spears, Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH)Said The department offered dairy producers the opportunity to become a pilot state for the federal government. Voluntary mass testing programHowever, no growers expressed interest in participating, and Indiana is currently not part of the program.
“BOAH has held multiple dairy industry information sessions and has heard from producers who are concerned about the disease and want information on how to prevent the virus from entering their farms.” Spears said. “This is all new for dairy farmers, and we're working with the dairy farmer and veterinary community to help them strengthen their preparedness efforts.”
Tracking the virus
According to the CDC, avian influenza is most commonly found in wild and farm birds around the world, but outbreaks occur periodically in other mammals.
H5N1 avian influenza periodically causes large-scale outbreaks. Over 100 million dead birds It is spreading worldwide in 2022 and has been detected in dozens of mammal species. In the United States, the virus has been found in more than 200 mammal species, including cats, goats, and raccoons.
The virus is most commonly spread by eating or coming into contact with the feces or saliva of an infected animal.
However, avian influenza viruses rarely infect humans. World Health Organization (WHO)A total of 889 cases of H5N1 virus infection have been reported in 23 countries between 2003 and April 1 of this year. According to federal health authorities, the most common symptoms in humans include bloodshot eyes (conjunctivitis), difficulty breathing, fever, cough, sore throat and pneumonia.
The first recorded cases of human infection in the United States were in 2022.
A second case was reported in a dairy farm worker in Texas in March 2024. A third case in a dairy farm worker in Michigan was confirmed in late May.
Despite cases in neighboring states, Indiana currently requires testing only for lactating dairy cows traveling across state lines, as required by a federal order issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on April 29.
Spears said Indiana has decided not to require testing at this time “because we have not had any positive cases.”
“We know that dairy farmers and veterinarians are aware of the clinical signs and are watching them closely because they have asked questions and subsequent tests have not come back positive,” she said.
Spears noted that more than 750 tests have been conducted on cattle being moved from Indiana to other states since April 29. But she said Indiana doesn't know exactly how many tests have been conducted overall because only non-negative results are reported to BOAH.
State officials have been “aggressively” dealing with the current strain of H5N1 on and off since 2022, Spears continued.
She said BOAH was working “closely” with the poultry industry on “awareness, biosecurity, prevention and preparedness”.
“They are prepared to respond and we are here to support and coordinate that response,” Spears said, adding that “BOAH has worked for many years to encourage good preventative measures against all kinds of diseases on all livestock and poultry farms through good biosecurity and relationships with private veterinarians.”
Hoosier poultry is largely unaffected
Across poultry in the state, there have been just 12 total Hoosier outbreak reports since 2022. Most of those are linked to turkey flocks, and there are four affected duck flocks.
Indiana regulators and industry groups say that's because the state's “well-prepared” system has largely kept the disease out of avian livestock.
Poultry disease regulations in the country date back almost a century, and were enacted after disease outbreaks in farm chicken farms.
Hobart Clayton of Warsaw-based egg producer Clayton Brothers was among the farmers who urged the USDA to implement a cooperative regulatory program, according to Rebecca Joniskan, president of the Indiana State Poultry Association (ISPA).
The National Poultry Improvement Program was launched in 1935. The program sets standards, such as testing, and is used to monitor the health of the nation's poultry breeders, hatcheries and poultry products, according to the ISPA report. Website.
ISPA will administer Indiana's plan in collaboration with USDA and BOAH.
Joniskan said poultry producers participate in a 365-day monitoring program whether or not there is a disease outbreak. If there is an outbreak, they do more testing. The plan prescribes some testing, and Joniskan said some testing is required by the commission.
After deadly outbreaks in 2015 and again in 2016, poultry producers and the National Poultry Improvement Programme agreed to step up disease prevention efforts in 2018.
“The spread of this disease was primarily due to a biosecurity breach by an employee in a feed truck or a UPS delivery truck,” Joniskan said. “We looked at that situation, learned from it and said, 'We can do better at this.'”
Biosecurity efforts focus on the interior and exterior boundaries, she said.
“When you enter the barn, there's what we call a 'line,'” Joniskan said. “We try to be really careful when we cross that line.”
She said farmers typically change into specialized clothing, including protective boots, gloves and coveralls, before entering. Disposable barriers are sometimes provided to visitors.
After you leave, you will need to hang out the laundry or take it out to the trash.
It made a difference.
“80% to 85% of cases today are caused by disease being brought directly onto farms by wild birds or other wildlife, and in only 15% to 20% of those cases (epidemiologists) can prove there has actually been a biosecurity breach,” Joniskan said. “While we all sincerely hope that the disease will go away, we are pleased that the effort, money and time that has been put into biosecurity has, for the most part, actually paid off.”
Risk to humans remains 'low'
Spears said one of the challenges of taking proactive measures now to stop avian flu from spreading to dairy cows is that it is difficult to prevent the virus on farms if it is spread by wild migratory birds.
“There is no surefire way to rule out all possible reservoir transmission of this virus,” she said. “Meanwhile, we are learning more about how the H5N1 virus acts in cattle and poultry. Symptoms of the disease vary widely and the risk of spread varies. We are educating farmers and working with their veterinarians to provide them with the latest information and advice on how to protect their livestock.”
She went on to say that the virus spreads quickly through a flock, so poultry will die quickly.
That means a “very different response” at farm level than for cattle, where the virus makes them sick but “the animals generally recover within a few days.”
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“That means that if there is an outbreak on a farm, it makes a big difference in containing the spread,” Spears said. “BOAH has a response plan in place to increase community surveillance in case any cows test positive.”
still, Scientists and state officials have emphasized that the risk of bird flu becoming a human virus is minimal, and the CDC continues to explain the current risk that bird flu viruses pose to the general public. low.
Agriculture officials said they would not begin monitoring dairy workers for avian influenza until the first cow was confirmed to be infected in the state.
Indiana State Department of Health spokeswoman Lisa Welch said the department has a “robust influenza surveillance system” and that the agency will work with BOAH if H5N1 is detected in the animal population.
She said procedures were also in place to monitor and test people who have bird flu or who develop symptoms after contracting the virus.
“The Indiana State Department of Health is working closely with local health departments and clinicians to coordinate testing at the Indiana State Department of Health laboratory and is prepared to test any Indiana residents who develop symptoms after exposure to infected herds in Indiana,” Welch said.
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