Herds of dairy cattle in the United States test positive for bird flu. In addition, a human has already tested positive in Texas, which is the most affected state.
Migratory ducks seem to be to blame for the increase in bird flu outbreaks in cows and poultry USA, mainly in Texas. However, according to state Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, these virus-carrying birds should soon head north.
This past week, the United States Government reported different cases of the disease in seven different groups of dairy cattle in Texas and in one person who was in contact with cows, which It became the second human case in the country. This makes Texas, which is the largest beef cattle producer in the United States, a the state most affected by the first outbreaks in national history.
Cows Livestock
Ignacio Petunchi
The avian flu virus has been affecting agricultural producers in the United States since 2022, mainly poultry. A positive test at a Texas egg farm led to the Cal-Maine egg company to slaughter 1.6 million chickens layers, as reported by the company on Tuesday. This is the largest outbreak at a commercial poultry facility, Miller said.
The Texas Agriculture Commissioner said in an interview that this was spread by waterfowl, adding: “we are ready for the ducks to head north to their nesting grounds“The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had first reported on March 25 that a cow and milk from two Texas dairy plants had tested positive for bird flu, at the same time as two dairy plants. Kansas Dairies.
The agency then confirmed cases in dairy herds in Texas, New Mexico, Michigan and Idaho, where the strain of the virus was very similar to the one previously found in Texas and Kansas, which appears to have been introduced by wild birdsaccording to the USDA.
How the bird flu outbreak began in the United States
According to information from experts, the feces or other materials of these birds could have contaminated the feed or water that the cows ingested in the dairy plants, although this theory has not been confirmed. In addition, the USDA indicated that the transmission of the disease among cattle cannot be ruled out either, since in Michigan the herd that tested positive had recently received cows from Texas.
After the outbreaks, from Mexico – which is one of the main markets for beef and dairy products in the United States – they declared that They are increasing surveillance and strengthening inspections of livestock imported from its neighboring country.
So far, bird flu has mainly affected older cows in infected dairies, and “only a small part of each herd shows clinical signs“, reported from the USDA. In addition, the agency stated that they have not received reports of cattle with signs of influenza, but only dairy cattle.
For its part, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the risk of bird flu to humans is low. In addition, the human infected in Texas He suffered only from an eye infection.
Source: Ambito
