Dairy cows test positive for bird flu in Texas and Kansas, United States

Cow Milk

Dairy

United States

Regulation & Compliances

Market & Price Trends

Published Mar 28, 2024

Tridge summary

For the first time in the United States, milk from dairy cows in Texas and Kansas has been found to contain the H5N1 type A strain of avian influenza, a virus primarily affecting birds but occasionally humans. Despite this unprecedented detection, the Department of Agriculture reassures that the commercial milk supply is safe, emphasizing that milk from sick animals is not used and pasteurization processes eliminate viruses. The affected cattle have shown a decrease in milk production and appetite, particularly noted in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico, but have naturally recovered within a week to ten days. This situation is notably different from poultry infections, which often lead to the culling of entire flocks.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

Milk from dairy cows in Texas and Kansas tested positive for avian influenza, U.S. officials said Monday. Officials with the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed that the flu virus is the H5N1 type A strain, known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and occasionally infect people. Influenza is affecting older dairy cows in those states and New Mexico, causing a decline in milk production and appetite. The notice came a week after officials in Minnesota announced that goats at a farm where there had been an outbreak among poultry were diagnosed with the virus. It is believed to be the first time that the disease — also known as highly pathogenic avian flu — was detected in cattle in the United States. The commercial milk supply is safe and the risk to the public is low, the Department of Agriculture said. Dairies can only supply milk from healthy animals, and that from those that are not healthy is diverted or destroyed. Pasteurization also kills viruses and other bacteria, ...

Source: Elperiodicodemexico