United States: Bird flu detected in dairy cows

In the United States, bird flu was detected last Monday in raw milk samples from a farm in Texas and in production at two other dairy plants in Kansas. Local authorities reported it was an unprecedented incident.

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The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a statement that dead wild birds were found on the farm, suggesting the virus may have been introduced by those animals.

According to documents released by the Texas Department of Agriculture, this is a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu. Sid Miller, director of the Texas Department of Agriculture, clarified that “while concerning, this outbreak is not currently expected to threaten the nation’s commercial dairy supply.”

Texas agriculture authorities said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinary laboratory “has not identified changes in the virus that would make it more likely to spread to humans.”

Likewise, the statement clarified that the risk of infection to the public remains low. Therefore, epidemiological investigations are being carried out to ensure and grasp the accurate situation of cases that have occurred.

Affected cattle exhibit flu-like symptoms such as fever, milk thickening and discoloration, and a sharp decrease in milk production. Miller explained that sick cows are kept separate from other livestock and their milk.

“It’s unclear whether the contaminated milk has entered the food chain,” Miller said earlier this week. He noted that if some of the affected milk breached control measures, the pasteurization process would render the virus inactive.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said avian influenza “poses a significant threat to commercial poultry farming and people’s livelihoods, in addition to potential risks to human health.”

(Information from AFP)