Ohio reports first avian flu outbreak among dairy herd – Washington Examiner

The avian flu spread to an Ohio dairy farm for the first time.

Ohio had never reported a case of the flu, which is typically hosted by birds, in any of its livestock operations, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture. On Thursday, it confirmed that infected cows from Texas arrived in the state on March 8.

When Texas reported cases of avian flu among two of its dairy herds on Mar. 25, it led to the testing of the cows it transported. As a result, more cases were discovered in Kansas, Idaho, New Mexico, and Michigan.

While the flu is deadly for poultry, cows can typically recover after a few days. However, due to a lack of research on its transmission via cow’s milk, infected cows are out of commission until they are deemed healthy.

“There continues to be no concern that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health, or that it affects the safety of the commercial milk supply because products are pasteurized before entering the market,” the Department of Agriculture explained in its press release. “In addition, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. Pasteurization is required for any milk entering interstate commerce for human consumption.”

Since the outbreak of the avian flu in January 2022, more than 82 million poultry have been affected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can spread from wild birds.

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One human case of the avian flu has also come out of Texas due to that person’s exposure to dairy cattle. This is the second time a human has contracted the disease. The CDC considers transmission risk to be low for humans.

Last year over 50.54 million birds died of the avian flu, overcoming a record from 2015.

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