Category: Featured Headlines
What we’re starting to learn about H5N1 in cows, and the risk to people
Stat The H5N1 bird flu virus has been around for decades, and the damage it wreaks on chickens and other poultry is well documented. But the recent discovery that the virus has jumped into dairy cattle — whose udders seem to be where the virus either infects or migrates to — has dumbfounded scientists and […]
Apr 30, 2024
HPAI circulating in US dairy cattle since 2023?
Watt Poultry Analysis suggests that highly pathogenic avian influenza may have entered the U.S. dairy herd late last year, as one in five milk samples in the country test positive for HPAI virus fragments. While it may be a truism to say that a virus must be present to be detected, simply reporting virus’ detection […]
Apr 30, 2024
US to test ground beef in states with bird-flu outbreaks in dairy cows
Reuters The U.S. government said on Monday it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing, but remains confident the meat supply is safe. Federal officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in […]
Apr 30, 2024
Dairy cattle must be tested for bird flu before moving between states, agriculture officials say
AP Dairy cattle moving between states must be tested for the bird flu virus, U.S. agriculture officials said Wednesday as they try to track and control the growing outbreak. The federal order was announced one day after health officials said they had detected inactivated remnants of the virus, known as Type A H5N1, in samples taken from […]
Apr 24, 2024
U.S. government in hot seat for response to growing cow flu outbreak
Science Veterinarians and researchers on the front lines say it has taken too long to share data on viral changes, spread, and milk safety. In early March, veterinarian Barb Petersen noticed the dairy cows she cared for on a Texas farm looked sick and produced less milk, and that it was off-color and thick. Birds […]
Apr 24, 2024
Bird Flu Outbreak in Cattle May Have Begun Months Earlier Than Thought
New York Times A single spillover, from a bird to a cow, led to the infections, a review of genetic data has found. The bird flu outbreak in American dairy cattle may have begun in January, or even as early as December, a new analysis of genetic data suggests. The Department of Agriculture announced in late […]
Apr 24, 2024
USDA releases H5N1 bird flu genetic data eagerly awaited by scientists
STAT Helen Branswell The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has been under pressure from scientists both at home and abroad to share more data on the H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in dairy cows, uploaded a large number of genetic sequences of the pathogen late Sunday. The excitement that news generated in the scientific community quickly gave way to frustration, […]
Apr 23, 2024
Genetic analysis reveals H5N1 flu virus outbreak in cows likely started earlier than thought
STAT Helen Branswell The H5N1 bird flu outbreak in dairy cows in the United States has likely been going on for months longer than was previously realized, and has probably spread more widely across the country than the confirmed outbreaks would imply, according to an analysis of genetic sequences that were released Sunday by the U.S. Department […]
Apr 23, 2024
Updates on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)
FDA Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a disease that is highly contagious and often deadly in poultry, caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5) and A (H7) viruses; it is also known as bird or avian flu. HPAI viruses can be transmitted by wild birds to domestic poultry and other bird and animal […]
Apr 23, 2024
Bird flu is spreading to more farm animals. Are milk and eggs safe?
AP A bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows has spread to more than two dozen herds in eight states A bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows has grown to affect more than two dozen herds in eight states, just weeks after the nation’s largest egg producer found the virus in its chickens. Health officials stress that the […]
Apr 23, 2024