Bird Flu Spreads to Dairy Cattle in the United States
The bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), has made its way into dairy cattle in the United States for the first time, according to multiple U.S. agencies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed that sick cattle from dairy farms in Kansas and Texas tested positive for the bird flu.
The bird flu has been causing havoc among bird populations in Europe and Asia since August 2020, resulting in extensive morbidity and mortality events. Now, it has spread to dairy cattle, a worrying development for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the dairy industry. This comes shortly following the virus was detected in goats on a Minnesota farm, and it has also affected marine animals, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of seals and sea lions.
The transmission of the virus from birds to cattle is typically through the consumption of sick or infected birds.