Bird flu has hit U.S. dairy cattle for the first time. Here's what it means for milk supply.
By Li Cohen
Updated on: April 1, 2024 / 8:29 AM EDT / CBS News
Multiple U.S. agencies said on Friday that for the first time, the rampant bird flu has spread to dairy cattle. Impacted cows have
been found across several states as officials reemphasize the importance of only consuming pasteurized dairy products.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the spread
of the the bird flu, saying they tested sick cattle from dairy farms in Kansas and Texas. Those tests came back positive for highly
pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which has been impacting bird populations in Europe and Asia since August 2020 and "caused
extensive morbidity and mortality events" in similar species across the U.S., according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
This marks the first time the bird flu has been found in dairy cattle, the American Veterinary Medical Association said, and the
findings came just days after the virus was detected in goats on a Minnesota farm. In the fall, the bird flu also hit the polar bear
species for the first time, killing one of the bears, and it has also spread to marine animals, killing tens of thousands of seals
and sea lions.
Bird flu was suspected of impacting U.S. cattle after dairy cows were found to be experiencing "decreased lactation, low appetite
and other symptoms," agencies said in a joint news release. On March 25, they said milk samples showed two farms in Kansas and one
in Texas were impacted. A swab from another dairy farm in Texas also yielded a positive result, they said.
Bird flu was later found in a Michigan herd that had recently received cows from Texas, and "presumptive positive test results have
also been received for additional herds in New Mexico, Idaho and Texas," officials said.
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Posted by EQF on April 4, 2024
A few health reports that I have seen on this indicate to me that health officials are going to need to carefully watch this situation, even more than they have in the past.
If I have this right, this flu virus has the designation H5N1. That says something about how it behaves.
H and N refer to how easily the virus gets into cells and then escapes from cells if I understand all of this. The lower the #, the more dangerous it is. H1N1 would be the worst.
It appears to me from health reports that it might eventually be necessary to start giving people a vaccine for the virus if it mutates and/or spreads more than it has.
These are personal opinions.
Regards to all,
EQF
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