Current Events > for the first time ever, US dairy cows have tested positive for Bird Flu

(+) Yeah! (+)

Livestock at multiple dairy farms across the U.S. have tested positive for bird flu also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI in an outbreak that's likely spread to at least five states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed Friday that cows in Texas, Kansas and Michigan had been sickened by the virus, and there were presumptive positive test results for additional herds in New Mexico and Idaho.

It's the first time the disease has been found in dairy cattle, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The cases come just days after a group of young goats contracted bird flu on a Minnesota farm.

Bird flu infects the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts of birds and is often fatal to avian populations. It can spread from wild birds to commercial poultry and backyard flocks as well as terrestrial and marine mammals and humans.

Government officials say the risk to the public amid the current outbreak remains low. Most past human infections have occurred after people had "unprotected exposures to sick or dead infected poultry," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And officials say the strain of the virus detected in Michigan is similar to the one found in Texas and Kansas, which was shown through initial testing not to include any changes that would make it more transmissible to humans.

The rash of bird flu infections should also not dramatically impact consumers of dairy products, federal and state officials say.

"Understanding the details surrounding the transfer of avian virus to livestock is the top priority of animal health professionals and agriculture agencies," Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a statement. "While troubling, this outbreak is not currently expected to threaten our nation's commercial dairy supply."

There is virtually no impact on consumers so far
The country's commercial dairy supply is safe and a milk recall is unnecessary, the USDA says.

That's because dairies are required to divert or destroy any milk from impacted livestock, and only milk from healthy cows can be processed for human consumption.

Additionally, pasteurization which is required for milk entering interstate commerce kills bacteria and viruses, including influenza.

The Food and Drug Administration says there is limited information available about the transmission of bird flu in raw, unpasteurized milk. The agency has long warned people to avoid raw milk, which it says can harbor dangerous bacteria and sicken consumers.

Federal officials say the loss of milk from ill dairy cows is too limited to significantly impact the commercial supply, which is typically higher in the spring due to increased seasonal production. Dairy prices are not expected to rise due to the outbreak, they added.

How regulators and farmers are working to contain the spread
The USDA believes the dairy cows have been sickened by a strain called H5N1, Eurasian lineage goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b, which was likely introduced by wild birds. Pigeons, blackbirds and grackles were identified at the affected Texas farms.

But federal officials are also not ruling out the possibility of cow-to-cow transmission. That's after a Michigan farm recently received a shipment of cattle from an affected Texas farm before any of the cows show signs of disease, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said Friday.

Cows sickened by bird flu at affected dairy farms have recovered "after isolation with little to no associated mortality reported," according to the USDA.

Federal and state agencies are continuing to test sick livestock and unpasteurized milk samples.

The USDA also recommends that farmers and their veterinarians practice "good biosecurity," which includes limiting animal movements, testing livestock before they're moved and isolating sick cows.

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/31/1241897770/bird-flu-dairy-cows-idaho-kansas-texas-michigan-new-mexico

So eat more porkchops. Got it

Wait...was this how one of the zombie apocalypse stories started?

Necronmon posted...

Wait...was this how one of the zombie apocalypse stories started?

I thought that was more "mad cow disease" than "bird flu".

Cow must have caught it from her brother...

What's the difference between bird flu and swine flu?
One requires tweetment and the other an oinkment.

Better than mad cow or hoof and mouth I guess?

Oh like we need some fucked up Influenza A thing to happen right now.

It has begun

sabin017 posted...

What's the difference between bird flu and swine flu?
One requires tweetment and the other an oinkment.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c15031ca.jpg

Everyone knows only birds can catch bird flu, that's why it's called bird flu. Are you really going to trust scientists that tell you a cow (which we all know is not a bird) can catch bird flu? /s

Cow must've got it from Chicken, they're pretty close.

Trumble posted...

Everyone knows only birds can catch bird flu, that's why it's called bird flu. Are you really going to trust scientists that tell you a cow (which we all know is not a bird) can catch bird flu? /s

wow that /s was so necessary

Choco posted...

wow that /s was so necessary

Around here, it really is.

they said it's not a real issue, for now, since they segregate the cows once they find out they're sick, and that the cows with it have recovered.

also, due to pasteurization, we don't have to worry about our dairy, but it could be an issue for those who go for raw milk.

I just posted the story just in case anyone might be interested.

Baron_Ox posted...

they said it's not a real issue, for now, since they segregate the cows once they find out they're sick, and that the cows with it have recovered.

also, due to pasteurization, we don't have to worry about our dairy, but it could be an issue for those who go for raw milk.

I just posted the story just in case anyone might be interested.

IIRC, the GOP base is currently pushing for stores to be forced to sell unpasteurized milk, due to the brain worms making them think pasteurized milk is Satanic or has vaccines or some other conspiracy theory bullshit.

Baron_Ox posted...

they said it's not a real issue, for now, since they segregate the cows once they find out they're sick, and that the cows with it have recovered.

also, due to pasteurization, we don't have to worry about our dairy, but it could be an issue for those who go for raw milk.

I just posted the story just in case anyone might be interested.

People who go for raw milk get what they deserve.

ScazarMeltex posted...

People who go for raw milk get what they deserve.

Milk is the weirdest thing to be a crunchy hippie about. Pasteurization takes bad microorganisms and bacteria out of the Milk. Imagine being like "WELL I WANT THAT BACTERIA AND THOSE TASTY MICROBES".