CDC has marked risk to humans as ‘low’ with no human-to-human spread reported so far
Photo for representation: iStock
The ongoing outbreak of avian flu H5N1 has reached Minnesota, United States with over 40 cows confirmed to be infected. This brings the total number of infected cattle in the USA to over 80, spread across 11 states.
While the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintained that the risk to humans was low, with no reported cases of human-to-human transmission, three farm workers have also tested positive for the virus.
South Dakota, New Mexico, Michigan, Iowa, Idaho, Ohio, Colorado and North Carolina are the other states where cattle have been found infected.
According to a statement from the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, after observing clinical signs in cows, samples were collected and sent to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which confirmed the presence of the virus.
“We knew it was only a matter of time before this detection would reach our doorstep,” state veterinarian Brian Hoefs said in the statement published on June 6, 2024.
As per the protocol, these cows have now been quarantined for the next 30 days to further prevent their spread to other animals on the farm. The milk collected from these infected animals needs to be disposed of.
The herd will later be retested for the disease before its release from the quarantine.
The press statement said the risk to the public from the virus at present remains low. However, people who work in the dairy sector or are in direct contact with the infected animals are susceptible to the disease.
However, pasteurised dairy remains safe to consume, CDC stated.
The CDC has also noted that three people contracted the disease between April 1 to May 29 this year. The first case of human infection via exposure to poultry was reported on April 28, 2022. The cases were reported from Michigan, Texas and Colorado.
The virus has yet to show any signs of transfer between humans.
The disease was first reported in Kansas and Texas in March earlier this year, making it the first instance of a virus jumping into cattle among other mammals.
The CDC noted that over 96,000,000 poultry birds have been affected in the country, while 83 dairy herds and over 9,300 wild birds have been infected with the virus so far.
According to a statement from the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, lactating dairy cattle show signs of recovery with little or no mortality after supportive care, while the virus is fatal to poultry.
The clinical signs of the disease are identified as a decrease in food consumption and a simultaneous decrease in rumination, a reduction in milk production, dehydration, fever, clear nasal discharge, tacky or loose faeces, lethargy and thicker, concentrated, colostrum-like milk.
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