From staff reports SAN DIEGO – National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Veterinarian Dr. Kathy Simmons spoke on the March 2024 appearance of avian flu in dairy cattle during the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since March, the H5N1 virus has been confirmed in dairy cattle herds in Oklahoma and 12 other states including: Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. However, only herds in Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Texas have been affected in the past 30 days.
“With any emerging disease, we don’t know exactly what we are dealing with when we first see it,” Simmons said. “It was found by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing in a dairy cattle herd in mid to late lactating cows. It has a strong affinity with the mammary gland. We feel that it was a one-time pass from a wild bird to a dairy cow and it may have been in the United States for some time before we identified it.”
Simmons and the NCBA had been concerned about the safety of food supply to the consumer. Through several milk pasteurization studies, the Food and Drug Administration determined that the virus can’t live in pasteurized milk.
“The first was a study of random retail ground beef samples taken from affected states,” she said. “PCR tests were all negative, so that reaffirmed the safety of the supply.”
Studies also demonstrated that cooking 80/20 ground beef to 145-160 degrees Fahrenheit kills the virus.
She warned that viruses can survive through mutation. “We are constantly being vigilant for such a change. Now, even more so with influenza, we know it can infect multiple species. This virus has already affected dairy cattle, cats, llamas, racoons and of course, birds.”
The USDA is conducting epidemiological studies on affected premises to look into the wildlife component and para-domestic animals such as cats and dogs.
Simmons advised producers to survey their herd health and call on veterinarians if needed.