Canada to test milk for H5N1 avian flu after harmless traces found in U.S. cattle

Published 2024년 5월 3일

Tridge summary

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is planning to test retail milk for traces of the avian flu virus, following concerns that the virus may have spread from U.S. herds to Canadian cattle. The agency will also facilitate voluntary testing of apparently healthy cows. This decision comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed highly pathogenic avian flu in cows in several states, despite no findings in cows in Canada to date. The risk to humans is currently considered low, with only one case reported in a Texas farmworker, possibly marking the first instance of avian flu transmitting from a mammal to a human without direct contact with sick birds.

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Original content

Canadian food safety and agriculture officials will test retail milk for harmless traces of the avian flu virus as they step up efforts to determine whether a highly pathogenic version of H5N1 has spread undetected into Canadian cattle from herds in the United States. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced Friday that it would also facilitate the voluntary testing of apparently healthy cows for bird flu. The statement did not provide details on how they would do so. Earlier this week, in a notice to the Canadian dairy industry, the agency said that lactating cows could no longer be imported from the U.S. without proof of negative flu tests. That change took affect April 29. H5N1 has not yet been found in cows in Canada, but some doctors and scientists worry cases may have been missed because officials have been waiting for farmers and field veterinarians to report symptoms in cattle, rather than actively hunting for the virus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on ...

Source: Castanet