Livestock at several dairy farms across the United States have tested positive for bird flu, but officials say the risk to the public is not high.
On Friday, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service officials announced that the virus has caused illness in cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, and New Jersey. report Sunday.
Officials said other herds in New Mexico and Idaho also had presumptive positive test results.
The NPR article said, “According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, this is the first time the disease has been found in dairy cows.”
The Associated Press reported in late March that goats at a farm in Minnesota where poultry had been infected with avian influenza also contracted the virus.
The NPR article continued:
Government officials say the risk to the public from the current outbreak remains low. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most human infections in the past occurred after people had “unprotected exposure to infected diseased or dead poultry.” And officials say the strain of the virus detected in Michigan is similar to strains found in Texas and Kansas, and early tests do not show any changes that would make it more transmissible to humans. It has been shown that there is no such thing.
Agriculture Department officials said the dairy supply is safe because these farms must divert or destroy milk from diseased animals.
“Additionally, the pasteurization required for milk entering interstate commerce kills bacteria and viruses, including influenza,” the NPR report states.
Dr. Dave Montgomery spoke about this situation. Said News Nation said people should be “vigilant” but also noted that raw dairy products are the only food products that pose a high risk of transmitting the disease “if an outbreak were to occur.”
He also pointed to the fact that “the vast majority of milk and dairy products we consume here in the United States are pasteurized” to make them safe for consumers.
According to a report by NPR, federal officials said the loss of milk due to some of the livestock becoming ill will not significantly impact commercial supply and prices for these products are not expected to increase. ing.
Officials believe the affected dairy cows became ill after becoming infected with a strain known as H5N1, which likely originated in wild birds, the news agency added.
In November, Breitbart News reported that the first case of avian influenza of 2023 was confirmed at a duck breeding facility in Sumter County, Georgia.
The farm was reportedly quarantined and 30,000 ducks were scheduled to be euthanized to prevent infecting other poultry.
