Dairy Cows Test Positive for Bird Flu at Farms Across U.S.

Government officials say the risk to the public amid the current outbreak remains low. Most past human infections have occurred after people had “unprotected exposures to sick or dead infected poultry,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And officials say the strain of the virus detected in Michigan is similar to the one found in Texas and Kansas, which was shown through initial testing not to include any changes that would make it more transmissible to humans.

USDA officials said the dairy supply is safe because those farms must divert or destroy milk from livestock affected by the illness.

“Additionally, pasteurization — which is required for milk entering interstate commerce — kills bacteria and viruses, including influenza,” the NPR report said.

When speaking about the situation, Dr. Dave Montgomery told News Nation people should be on “alert” but also noted that only raw milk products would pose a high risk of transmitting the illness “if it were to occur at all.”

He then pointed to the fact that “a large majority of the milk and the milk products that we consume here in the States is pasteurized” to make it safe for consumers:

Federal authorities have stated that the milk loss from sick livestock will not significantly impact the commercial supply, and there is no expected increase in cost for these products, as reported by NPR.

It is believed that the affected dairy cows contracted the H5N1 strain from wild birds, according to officials.

In November of 2023, the first cases of bird flu were confirmed at a duck breeding facility in Sumter County, Georgia, as per Breitbart News.

The farm has been placed under quarantine, and 30,000 ducks are scheduled to be euthanized in order to prevent the spread of the illness to other fowl.