The US government will require dairy cattle moving between states to be tested for avian influenza starting on Monday as federal officials ramp up their response to an outbreak that has bled over into the US milk supply, reported Reuters.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday said all laboratories and state veterinarians in the country must report positive tests, and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) would pay for increased testing.
The measures aim to contain the spread of bird flu, which has been reported in eight states and 33 dairy herds since it was first detected in late March in Texas. A person exposed to cattle tested positive for the disease and suffered conjunctivitis.
Dr. Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona, said based on new information, it appears that infections with the H5N1 virus in dairy cattle occurred through a single transmission event from a bird to a cow sometime in late 2023, likely in December. Read more