Federal officers say milk from dairy cows in Texas and Kansas has examined constructive for fowl fluBy MIKE STOBBE and JONEL ALECCIA Related PressMarch 25, 2024, 6:28 PM ET• 4 min readMilk from dairy cows in Texas and Kansas has examined constructive for fowl flu, U.S. officers stated Monday.Officers with the Texas Animal Well being Fee confirmed the flu virus is the Kind A H5N1 pressure, recognized for many years to trigger outbreaks in birds and to often infect folks. The virus is affecting older dairy cows in these states and in New Mexico, inflicting decreased lactation and low urge for food.It comes per week after officers in Minnesota introduced that goats on a farm the place there had been an outbreak of fowl flu amongst poultry have been recognized with the virus. It is believed to be the primary time fowl flu — often known as extremely pathogenic avian influenza — was present in U.S. livestock.The business milk provide is secure and danger to folks is low, in accordance with the U.S. Division of Agriculture. Dairies are required to solely enable milk from wholesome animals to enter the meals provide, and milk from the sick animals is being diverted or destroyed. Pasteurization additionally kills viruses and different micro organism, and the method is required for milk offered by interstate commerce, the company stated.“At this stage, there is no such thing as a concern concerning the security of the business milk provide or that this circumstance poses a danger to shopper well being,” the USDA stated in an announcement.The federal authorities stated its assessments within the cattle didn’t detect any modifications to the virus that will make it unfold extra simply to folks.Dairy farmers in Texas first turned involved three weeks in the past when cattle began falling in poor health with what officers known as “thriller dairy cow illness,” Texas Division of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller stated. Milk manufacturing fell sharply and the cows have been torpid and weren’t consuming a lot.“We hadn’t seen something prefer it earlier than,” he stated. “It was form of like that they had a chilly.”The state’s animal well being fee started an investigation that included assessments for fowl flu, spokeswoman Erin Robinson stated. Primarily based on findings from Texas, USDA officers assume the cows acquired the virus from contaminated wild birds.Consultants say livestock seem to recuperate on their very own inside seven to 10 days. That is completely different than fowl flu outbreaks in poultry, which necessitate killing flocks to eliminate the virus. Since 2022, outbreaks in have led to the lack of about 80 million birds in U.S. business flocks.To date, the virus seems to be infecting about 10% of lactating dairy cows within the affected herds, stated Michael Payne, a meals animal veterinarian and and biosecurity knowledgeable with the College of California-Davis Western Institute for Meals Security and Safety.“This doesn’t look something just like the high-path influenza in fowl flocks,” he stated.Chook flu was detected in unpasteurized, scientific samples of milk from sick cattle collected from two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas. The virus was additionally present in a nostril and throat swab from one other dairy in Texas.Officers known as it a quickly evolving state of affairs. The Meals and Drug Administration and Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention are concerned, together with officers within the three states. One other dairy-heavy state, Iowa, stated it’s monitoring the state of affairs.Dairy trade officers stated that producers have began enhanced biosecurity efforts on U.S. farms, together with limiting the quantity of site visitors into and out of properties and limiting visits to workers and important personnel.Chook flu beforehand has been reported in 48 completely different mammal species, Payne famous, including: “It was in all probability solely a matter of time earlier than avian influenza made its solution to ruminants.”___The Related Press Well being and Science Division receives help from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Academic Media Group. The AP is solely chargeable for all content material.