MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cattle in eleven US states with outbreaks of avian flu H5N1

Samples were collected and sent to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which confirmed the presence of the virus in cows

With the outbreak of Avian flu H5N1 in Minnesota, Midwest state bordering Canada, the number of infected cattle in the United States confirmed has reached over eighty animals across some eleven states. Besides Minnesota the other states with infected cattle include, South Dakota, New Mexico, Michigan, Iowa, Idaho, Ohio, Colorado and North Carolina.

And even when the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, has insisted that the risk for humans was low and there have been no reported full cases, except for a controversial situation in Mexico, which the country's authorities vehemently deny, three farm workers in the US have tested positive for the virus.

According to a statement from the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, after observing clinical signs in cows, samples were collected and sent to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which confirmed the presence of the virus.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before this detection would reach our doorstep,” state veterinarian Brian Hoefs said in the statement published on June 6, 2024. Following federal protocol the cows have now been quarantined for the next 30 days to further prevent their spread to other animals on the farm. The milk collected from these infected animals needs to be disposed of. The herd will later be retested for the disease before its release from the quarantine.

The press statement said the risk to the public from the virus at present remains low. However, people who work in the dairy sector or are in direct contact with the infected animals are susceptible to the disease. However, pasteurized dairy remains safe to consume, CDC stated.

The CDC has also noted that three people contracted the disease between April 1 to May 29 this year. The first case of human infection via exposure to poultry was reported on April 28, 2022. The cases were reported from Michigan, Texas and Colorado. The disease was first reported in Kansas and Texas in March earlier this year, making it the first instance of a virus jumping into cattle among other mammals.

The CDC noted that over 96,000,000 poultry birds have been affected in the US, while 83 dairy herds and over 9,300 wild birds have been infected with the virus so far.

According to a statement from the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, lactating dairy cattle show signs of recovery with little or no mortality after supportive care, while the virus is fatal to poultry.

The clinical signs of the disease are identified as a decrease in food consumption and a simultaneous decrease in rumination, a reduction in milk production, dehydration, fever, clear nasal discharge, tacky or loose faeces, lethargy and thicker, concentrated, colostrums-like milk.