New cases of bird flu emerge in several U.S. states

The USDA, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state public health and veterinary officials are continuing to investigate diseases in dairy cows that lead to reduced breastfeeding and loss of appetite. and other symptoms.

On Monday, March 25, authorities confirmed the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the region. Two dairy farms in Texas and two others in Kansas Their cattle showed these symptoms.

The National Veterinary Services Laboratory also confirmed A Michigan dairy farm recently received cows from Texas with the presence of HPAI H5N1.Likewise, the state Department of Agriculture Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 detected in Idaho

A dairy factory in Guipi County. This is the first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza at an Idaho livestock farm.The affected facility had recently imported cattle from another state where cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza had been detected in cattle,” indicated The virus can spread from one cow to anotherThis is in addition to previous reports suggesting livestock contracted the virus from infected birds,” the expert noted.

this Federal and state agencies continue to conduct additional testing Swabs from sick animals and clinical samples of unpasteurized milk from sick animals, along with viral genome sequencing, were analyzed to assess whether highly pathogenic avian influenza or other unrelated diseases may be the basis for any symptoms.

People are at low risk

The strain identified in Michigan is very similar to those identified in Texas and Kansas and appears to have been introduced by wild birds (H5N1, Eurasian lineage goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b).Preliminary testing The virus has not been found to change in a way that makes it easier to spread to humans

. “While cases may occur in humans in direct contact with infected animals, this suggests Current risks to the public Still low,” they said.

The authorities will continue to pay close attention to this matter Veterinarians and producers are advised to implement good biosecurity practices, test animals before necessary activities, minimize animal activity, and isolate sick cows from other cows. On dairy farms where cows became symptomatic, the affected animals recovered after isolation, and few or no related deaths were reported.

On the other hand, they emphasize There is no need to worry about the safety of the commercial milk supply as the product is pasteurized before entering the market, or the situation poses a risk to the health of consumers. “Farms are required to ship only milk from healthy animals for processing for human consumption. Milk from affected animals is being diverted or destroyed to avoid entering the human food supply. Additionally, pasteurization has been consistently shown to inactivate bacteria and Viruses, such as influenza, in milk,” they clarified.

The federal agency is also working with state and industry partners to encourage farmers and veterinarians to promptly report livestock illnesses “so we can monitor potential additional cases and minimize impacts and risks to farmers, farmworkers, consumers and other animals. Producers are urged to work with veterinarians to promptly report livestock diseases and implement enhanced biosecurity measures.”