Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, has been detected in dairy cows in multiple states and has infected one person in Texas. This article provides information on transmission, symptoms, and food risks associated with the virus.
Avian influenza, aka bird flu , has spread to dairy cows in multiple states and one person in Texas. What to know about transmission, symptoms and food risks .Earlier this month, a dairy worker in Texas tested positive for bird flu , aka avian influenza, amid an outbreak of the virus among dairy cattle.according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionThe multi-state bird flu outbreak is affecting cows in over a dozen dairy farms across the country.
This is the first time the avian influenza strain of highly pathogenic H5N1, which causes severe and often fatal disease in birds, has been found in cows. “That’s pretty unusual,” says Schaffner. However, this H5N1 strain does not seem to be making cows very sick, he adds.Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses have been detected in the U.S. in wild aquatic birds, commercial poultry and backyard bird flocks beginning in January 2022, according to the CDC.
Infected birds can shed the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions, mucus and feces. People can become infected when a large enough amount of the virus gets into the mouth, nose, eyes or is inhaled, says Schaffner. Sporadic cases of H5N1 in humans have been reported around the world, often in rural areas where people live closely with poultry or other birds. According to the Once the bird flu gets into a human, “it is almost never spread to anyone else,” says Schaffner. However, “there are ultra-rare instances of transmission from a person very sick with bird flu to a family member or caregiver.”
"We have not seen cases that have been from ingesting animal products or animals that may have been infected," says Babcock.
Avian Influenza Bird Flu Dairy Cows Transmission Symptoms Food Risks
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