United States – Cows at three dairy farms in California, the top U. S milk producing state have been found to have bird flu, the state’s agriculture department said on Friday, as reported by Reuters.
Concerns Over Virus Mutation and Human Transmission
The infections also added to the U.S. outbreak of the H5N1 virus in cattle that rear cows in the 14th state. Over 190 herds have been affected across the country since March, apart from dairy and poultry farm workers, 13 of them catching the virus, as per the federal government statistics.
This has increased concern about the possibility of the virus mutating to be transmitted among humans once it has hopped from cows to birds. Federal officials stress that bird flu is not a great threat to ordinary people, and the virus is inactivated in milk due to pasteurization.
Impact on Dairy Production and Farmer Response
None of the human infections have been reported in California, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The infected dairy herds are in the state’s Central Valley, the statement said, adding that the first sign occurred on Aug. 25.
Milk yield in affected cows is commonly known to drop temporarily for a few days.
“This is a tough time for our dairy farmers given the economic challenges they’re facing,” said Karen Ross, California’s agriculture secretary.
“We are approaching this incident with the utmost urgency.”
Quarantine Measures and Ongoing Investigations
The affected dairies have since been put under quarantine, according to the state department of agriculture. Fresh reports show that infected cows are confined and receiving treatment at the farms while the healthy ones have been cleared to proceed in shipping milk for pasteurization, as stated by the department, as reported by Reuters.
USDA said earlier it was conducting tests to determine the cases in California. The authorities of the USA put the public on notice, citing that it is still working closely with the CDFA as it tries to combat the virus.