(Image source from: Cbc.ca)
Bird flu is becoming an increasing concern, especially in the United States. Just recently, a worker at a dairy farm in Texas tested positive for bird flu, also known as H5N1. The World Health Organization (WHO) is now expressing worries about the spread of bird flu, which has an exceptionally high mortality rate in humans. In 2020, an outbreak resulted in the deaths of millions of poultry. The WHO has stated that the virus has now been found in various mammal species, including domestic cattle in the US, which raises the risk of it spreading to humans. This outbreak has affected over 25 herds of dairy cows across eight states. Additionally, chickens from the largest egg producer in the country have also been found to carry the virus.
On Friday, the WHO revealed that the H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected in raw milk from infected animals in significant amounts. However, it is still uncertain how long the virus can survive in milk. Despite health officials being on high alert, experts assure that the US food supply remains safe and stable, and the current risk to the general public is minimal. The US Food and Drug Administration has stated that there is no need for concern regarding the impact of the current situation on consumer health or the safety of the interstate commercial milk supply. The strain of bird flu, which has caused the death of numerous wild birds in recent years, has been identified in 26 dairy herds across eight US states: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and South Dakota.
Federal health and animal agencies report that this is the first time that the virus, referred to as Type A H5N1, has been discovered in cattle. Although it has been detected in various mammals over the past few years, genetic analysis does not indicate that it has undergone any changes to facilitate easier transmission among humans, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While imports of dairy cattle from affected states have been restricted in at least 17 states, government officials state that this has had minimal impact on commercial milk production thus far. It is believed that cows may have contracted the virus through exposure to wild birds, although the possibility of cow-to-cow transmission cannot be ruled out. Animals exhibiting symptoms or testing positive for illness are being isolated from the rest of the animals on the farms due to a decrease in the available resources and lack of energy. These animals seem to recuperate within a span of two weeks.
