(CMR) For the first time, bird flu has spread to dairy cattle in the US, impacting cows across several states and causing officials to reemphasize the importance of only consuming pasteurized dairy products.
According to CBS News, the US Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the spread of the the bird flu, saying they tested sick cattle from dairy farms in Kansas and Texas.
Those tests came back positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which has been impacting bird populations in Europe and Asia since August 2020 and similar species across the US.
The American Veterinary Medical Association said this marks the first time bird flu has been found in dairy cattle. The findings came just days after the virus was detected in goats on a Minnesota farm.
In the fall, bird flu also hit the polar bear species for the first time, killing one of the bears. It has also spread to marine animals, killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions.
A joint news release stated that bird flu was suspected of impacting US cattle after dairy cows were found to be experiencing “decreased lactation, low appetite and other symptoms.” Milk samples showed two farms in Kansas and one in Texas were impacted.
Bird flu was later found in a Michigan herd that had recently received cows from Texas, and “presumptive positive test results have also been received for additional herds in New Mexico, Idaho and Texas,” officials said.
While impacted cattle are experiencing a decline in how much milk they produce, the government said that so far, the milk loss “is too limited to have a major impact on supply.”
“There should be no impact on the price of milk or other dairy products. Further, the U.S. typically has a more than sufficient milk supply in the spring months due to seasonally higher production,” the agencies said.
There is also no concern from the agencies that milk in the commercial supply is unsafe. All milk products must be pasteurized and only milk from healthy animals is allowed to be sent to processing for human consumption, they added.
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