According to the new order of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), dairy cows yield negative results for influenza A viruses, a viral class covering bird flu, before they can be transported.
Bird Flu Testing Among Dairy Cows Required Before Transport Across States
As for herds that yield positive results, the owners will have to offer data about cattle movements to aid investigators in monitoring the disease.
Tom Vilsack, the Agriculture Secretary, also says that all state veterinarians and laboratories nationwide should report all positive tests. The USDA will also pay for testing efforts to increase.
According to Mike Watson, a senior official of the USDA, such testing efforts would help the industry, limit viral spread, and lead to a better understanding of the disease.
Richard Webby, the director of the Collaborating Center for Studies on Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds of the World Health Organization (WHO), explains that cow testing before transport could help. The center is situated at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
Webby explains that if the viral movement with the cows could be controlled, things could end up better.
Vilsack adds that positive testing results will prohibit the cattle from being moved for up to 30 days until they yield negative results. Dairy could recover from the virus, though the condition is typically lethal to turkeys and chickens.
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Bird Flu Outbreak Among Cattle
Such efforts aim to contain the spread of bird flu, which has been detected in 33 dairy herds and eight states since its first detection in Texas in late March.
Evolutionary biologist Dr. Michael Worobey from the University of Arizona says that, based on the new data, avian flu infections in dairy cows occurred through a single transmission event from a bird to a cow in late 2023. Dr. Worobey and colleagues looked into the virus' genetic sequences.
The US Food and Drug Administration reported last Tuesday that particles of the bird flu virus were detected in some samples of pasteurized milk. Nevertheless, the agency notes that this milk remains safe for humans to drink as it has been heated to temperatures high enough to eradicate harmful bacteria and viruses.
Vilsack also says that the US milk supply remains safe based on currently available information. The secretary adds that no live virus was detected.
Milk containing bird flu particles entered the supply from asymptomatic cows, which were found to be positive via testing. The USDA has also conducted over 2,000 tests on cow samples in the past several weeks.
Moreover, in the past several weeks, the USDA has observed spreads across cows belonging to the same herds, among dairies linked to cattle movements, cows to poultry, and cows that do not exhibit any clinical signs of positive infection.
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