U.S. may be undercounting bird flu cases in dairy cows

Reuters' Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek reported Thursday. that “The incidence of bird flu in U.S. dairy cows is much larger than official figures suggest because dairy farmers are hesitant to test their animals and fear the financial consequences of positive results, according to Reuters interviews with dairy experts, veterinarians and dairy farmers in the six affected states..”

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed avian influenza in about 190 dairy cows in 13 states since March, raising concerns that the virus could jump from birds to cows and then spread among humans,” Douglas and Polansek reported. “Scientists warn that limited surveillance could weaken the U.S.'s ability to respond to a human outbreak. Thirteen dairy and poultry workers have been infected with avian influenza this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.”

“Animal and human health experts in the three states who work closely with veterinarians and farmers said the government's tally is probably an underestimate because farmers fear financial hardship from a positive test, especially being limited in selling milk or cattle for several weeks.” Douglas and Polansek reported“We have nine officially confirmed positive cases, but there are many more farms that are affected or infected but haven't been tested,” said Joe Armstrong, a veterinarian and cattle expert at the University of Minnesota who has spoken to farmers across the state.

“The number of cases in cattle in Minnesota would be more accurately estimated at three to five times higher.Armstrong said, according to reports from Douglas and Polansek.

“Six farmers, veterinarians and other experts said farmers were reluctant to test because they didn't think the virus was a serious problem or because government incentives for testing didn't offset expected losses,” Douglas and Polansek reported. “Colorado farmer Terry Dye, 78, said two of his dairy farms were infected this summer but didn't report it to the state because he wanted to deal with it privately. State agriculture officials eventually found out about the infections and quarantined his animals, he said.”

“Phil Durst, an educator at Michigan State University who has spoken to farmers with infected herds, said Michigan's 27 positive cows are likely an underestimate by at least a third.“, Douglas and Polansek reported.Jenna Guthmiller, an assistant professor of immunology at the University of Colorado who studies viruses, said the 63 positive cows in Colorado are also likely an undercount..”

Inactive avian flu virus found in 17% of US dairy supply

Bloomberg's Sophia Vahanvati reports. “One in six dairy products sold in U.S. retail stores this summer showed signs of inactive avian influenza virus, slightly lower than what was found in a separate study when the pathogen was first discovered in U.S. dairy herds,” the regulator said.

“The US Food and Drug Administration announced that none of the 167 samples, including milk, ice cream, hard cheese, butter, cream cheese and aged raw milk cheese, contained live H5N1 avian influenza virus. The results indicate that pasteurized dairy products are still safe to consume,” Vahanbati reported. “This is the FDA's second study; the first, conducted in April, found inactive virus particles in one-fifth of the dairy products sampled. The latest effort tested a wider range of foods from more states, and the FDA cautioned that the results may not be directly comparable.”

USDA to expand beef inspections

Reuters reporter Douglas said last week: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that it will expand avian flu testing of beef entering the food supply as part of its response to an ongoing avian flu outbreak among dairy cows. It added that U.S. beef and dairy products remain safe to eat.”

“USDA officials, along with officials from other U.S. health agencies, said in a conference call with reporters that testing will begin in mid-September and urged livestock workers to remain vigilant,” Douglas reported. “…Expanded testing will continue through the end of the year with an emphasis on dairy beef, said Emilio Esteban, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety.