The USDA recently announced the detection of bird flu in dairy cattle in the United States. Initially found in dairy farms in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico, there are now 36 confirmed cases in nine states.
The H5N1 virus, which is typically found in wild birds, is now circulating among dairy cattle in the US. The USDA has confirmed transmission between cows in the same herd, from cows to birds, and between different dairy cattle herds.
However, the reported outbreaks may be underestimating the true spread of the virus, according to James Wood, a veterinary medicine expert. Tests conducted by the FDA on retail milk samples found viral fragments in one in five samples, although the virus was deactivated by pasteurization.
While there is only one confirmed human infection so far, the individual experienced conjunctivitis and was treated with an antiviral drug. Additional infections among humans may be more widespread than is officially reported.
Dairy workers are at higher risk of infection in this outbreak, but tracking the extent of infections is challenging. Many workers in the US dairy industry are immigrants, some of whom are undocumented and may be reluctant to seek testing.
There is also a lack of incentive for dairy farmers to report sick animals, as they do not receive compensation for doing so. This poses a challenge for monitoring and controlling the spread of the disease.
