Texas state officials are reporting that cattle are showing flu-like symptoms and drooling milk. he said.. Wild birds are a possible source of infection, federal officials added, citing reports of farms finding dead wild birds on their property.
The announcement comes after Minnesota officials. reported Last week, the first case of avian flu in an animal in the United States was confirmed in a baby goat living on a poultry farm.
Infections among cattle pose little risk to human food safety or the supply and price of milk, officials said. The milk of sick cattle is changing or disappearing. Pasteurization — a heat treatment that kills pathogens — is required for milk involved in interstate commerce, greatly reducing the chance of contaminated milk entering the food supply, he said.
Federal officials say the milk sample that tested positive for bird flu was unpasteurized.
“There is no risk to the public and there will be no shortage of supplies,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said. he said. In a news release. “Contaminated milk is not known to enter the food chain; it’s all thrown away. Occasionally, when some contaminated milk enters the food chain, the pasteurization process kills the virus.”
They have authorities It has long warned consumers to avoid raw milk, or unpasteurized milk, that may be sold in some states, including Texas and Kansas. of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention He called raw milk “one of the most dangerous foods” and said it was “linked to various foodborne illnesses.”
Texas needs dairy farms that sell raw milk to have it. tested Every three months. Kansas He asks In order for the sale of raw milk to take place “on the farm where it was produced”, any advertising and any containers must clearly state that it is raw milk.
Milk from symptomatic cows is too limited to have a significant impact on milk supply, federal officials said, adding that “there should be no impact on the price of milk or other dairy products.”
Federal and state officials are investigating older cows, primarily in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico. Iowa officials also “Active monitoring This is an improving situation.”
Unlike outbreaks in poultry, bird flu among mammals is not expected to require extensive culling efforts, officials said. Occasionally, bird flu has jumped from birds to humans, most notably during the 1997 avian influenza outbreak in Hong Kong. World Health Organization.
Brian Hoffs, a veterinarian and executive director of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, said last week that the boy’s bird flu infection “shows the potential for the virus to infect other animals on farms.”
“Fortunately, research to date shows that mammals appear to be dead hosts, meaning they are less likely to spread HPAI further.” Added at the time.
Miller said he does not expect “a need to reduce dairy herds” and that affected cattle are “expected to make a full recovery.”