This year, the first time the virus has been found in a Benton County dairy flock has been confirmed, making the outbreak in the state of Minnesota.
But per State Veterinarian Dr. Brian Hoefs, “it was simply a matter of time”.
According to Hoefs in a statement released on Thursday,” It’s important for cheese farmers to follow the example of this flock and test ill cows.” The more the pet health community can know about this virus through research and testing, the more effectively we can prepare ourselves for infections tomorrow.
Several hundred cattle are tired. According to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, farmers will destroy the cows ‘ milk and place them in a 30-day quarantine.
Although “people who work with or have immediate contact with infected animals may be at risk of getting sick,” the committee stated that people risk from avian flu is reduced right now.
A Texas dairy worker recovered from bird flu in March. Only one other person in the United States, a poultry worker in Colorado, is known to have contracted the virus during the current outbreak, which started two years ago.
” Symptoms of avian influenza in people may include cough, sore throat, fever, red/watery eyes or discharge from the eyes”, according to the board.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported this spring that it had found inactive traces of the virus in the milk supply, but health officials have since stated that pasteurized dairy is still safe.
Because products are pasteurized before entering the market, there is no doubt that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health or that it has an impact on the safety of the interstate commercial milk supply, according to the FDA.
The cow cases come as a result of a resurgence in bird flu cases at Minnesota poultry farms, which included the euthanization of tens of thousands of turkeys and, possibly, more than 1.3 million egg-laying hens last month. Since 2022, the state’s virus-related poultry losses have increased to nearly 8 million since then.
The transmission of the virus to cattle and other mammals has taken place in a number of states. Cows are able to survive the infection, unlike chickens and turkeys.
State officials are urging dairy farmers to get in touch with their veterinarian if their cows appear to be ill. Symptoms include fever, lower milk production, loss of appetite and changes in manure consistency, the board said.
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