University of Calgary Number of cases negligible but continued diagnostic testing and collaboration with producers are keys to ensuring community health, experts say.
ecent reports coming out of the U.S. of avian influenza virus (H5N1) being found in cattle has been garnering attention. First noted in mid-March as a “mystery illness” when a handful of dairy farms saw a drop in milk production and low appetite amongst some of their herd, traction on this story has grown as additional states began reporting cases.
As cases were found in goats, a handful of farm cats, and even a farm worker, further media outlets picked up the story. Cases have now reached as far north as our neighbouring states, Idaho and Michigan.
University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) researchers are urging the community to stay informed, but not to be alarmed by attention-grabbing headlines.
UCVM researcher and poultry veterinarian Dr. Faizal Careem, PhD, has been studying avian influenza virus for the past decade. Recently, he has been focusing his work on highly pathogenic avian flu viruses (HPAI), to which H5N1 belongs, and its spillover from wild waterfowl into commercial poultry operations.
In this time, he has seen spillover into mammals like foxes and skunks. These spillovers are usually found in animals that come into direct contact with infected wild birds, such as carnivores, or even your everyday indoor/outdoor cat.
While these spillovers are concerning, it is essential to clarify that the “highly pathogenic” classification pertains to its impact on poultry and does not necessarily indicate a similar effect in humans or other mammals. Current genomic evaluation of the virus from cattle has not shown any apparent changes that would make it more transmissible to or between mammals, and the risk to the general public at this point is low.