USDA: Bird flu detected in dairy cattle in New Mexico, Texas and Kansas.
Dairy cattle in three states have tested positive for the bird flu, according to a release by the United States Department of Agriculture.
On March 25, the USDA announced Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) had been detected in New Mexico, Kansas and Texas.
HPAI is a rapid acting disease that can be deadly for chickens but cannot be contracted by eating poultry or meat by consumers but has occasionally infected people.
Here's what we know about bird flu in dairy cattle.
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Reported cases of HPAI in New Mexico
As of March 26, there has reportedly been cases of the infection in cattle in Curry County.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich's office said in a statement that it is working closely with the USDA to monitor the situation.
"Sen. Heinrich is aware of the High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI) that has been detected in dairy cattle in Curry County. As of today, there are no reports of contamination of food or commercial milk supply. Heinrich and his team will continue to closely monitor the situation and stay in communication with the USDA," Press Secretary Luis Soriano said.
The name of the dairy in Curry County nor the number of infected cattle were not readily available to the USA TODAY NETWORK-NEW MEXICO.
Should New Mexicans still drink milk?
Consumers were advised not to worry as the initial testing by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories has not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans, the USDA said. That means the risk to humans remains low for now.
Consumers can also expect to see the price of milk remain the same.
"For the dairies whose herds are exhibiting symptoms, on average about 10% of each affected herd appears to be impacted, with little to no associated mortality reported among the animals. Milk loss resulting from symptomatic cattle to date is too limited to have a major impact on supply and there should be no impact on the price of milk or other dairy products," said the USDA release.
Federal and state agencies said they "are moving quickly" to conduct additional bird flu testing.
"The first detection of HPAI in dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas underscores the importance of adherence to biosecurity measures, vigilance in monitoring for disease, and immediately involving your veterinarian when something seems ‘off,’" American Veterinary Medical Association president Dr. Rena Carlson said. "A complete evaluation, including the collection and submission of laboratory samples and reporting to state animal health officials when appropriate, and in a timely fashion, are incredibly important."
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USDA reports HPAI in Texas and Kansas, mostly affecting older cows
On March 22, farmers reportedly found dead birds on their properties in Texas, leading the USDA to test samples of unpasteurized milk from sick cattle from two dairy farms in Kansas, one in Texas. Those cattle tested positive for HPAI.
The Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the flu virus is the Type A H5N1 strain, known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and to occasionally infect people.
The virus, the state agency said, is affecting older dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, as well as cattle in in New Mexico, causing symptoms including decreased lactation and low appetite.
"At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health. Dairies are required to send only milk from healthy animals into processing for human consumption; milk from impacted animals is being diverted or destroyed so that it does not enter the food supply," according to the release by the USDA.
"In addition, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. Pasteurization is required for any milk entering interstate commerce."
The release also said testing done by the National Veterinary Service Laboratories have "not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans."
The USDA wrote that migratory birds are believed to be the source. Testing will continue through this week.
What is bird flu?
Bird flu is a disease caused by a family of flu viruses primarily transmitted among birds.
Avian influenza viruses, according to the CDC and USDA, are classified into two groups: low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) (often seen in wild birds) and HPAI, found mostly in domestic poultry. According to the Centers for Disease Control, LPAI viruses cause mild or no disease, and HPAI cause severe disease and high mortality rates in infected birds.
Bird flu has cost the government roughly $660 million and in recent times raised the price of eggs and poultry. At least 58 million birds were slaughtered last year to limit the spread of the virus.
What are signs of bird flu?
Symptoms of bird flu include:
Loss of appetite, lethargy.
Death without prior symptoms.
Eyelid swelling.
Twisting of the head and neck.
Purple discoloration to body parts, including legs.
'No concern' about commercial milk supply safety
"At this stage," the USDA wrote, there is "no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health."
Dairies are required to send milk from healthy animals into processing before it can be put on grocery shelves, the agency said, and the milk from the sick animals was being destroyed.
In addition, USDA officials said, pasteurization "has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses," including influenza, in milk.
It's also required for milk entering interstate commerce.
"For the dairies whose herds are exhibiting symptoms, on average about ten percent of each affected herd appears to be impacted, with little to no associated mortality reported among the animals," the USDA wrote in its release. "Milk loss resulting from symptomatic cattle to date is too limited to have a major impact on supply and there should be no impact on the price of milk or other dairy products."
USA TODAY Senior Reporter Natalie Neysa Alund and Topeka Capital-Journal, State House Reporter Jason Alatidd all contributed to this reporting.
Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on twitter at @Juan36Corr.
This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Dairy cattle in New Mexico test positive for bird flu, USDA says
