Bird flu found in dairy cattle herd in Northwest Ohio
A news release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture says presumptive results from the cows in Wood County showed a positive result for highly pathogenic avian influenza. State officials are investigating after bird flu was detected in cows in a dairy operation in Wood County, Ohio. The results showed a positive result for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). State officials are awaiting confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease and Prevention indicate there is little risk to public health due to the pasteurization process involving dairy products. A person in Texas has tested positive for the disease and is being treated. The disease has previously been confirmed in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas, and has been detected in herds in Michigan, Idaho, and New Mexico. No deaths of cows have been confirmed from the illness.
Published : a month ago by Cliff Pinckard | [email protected], Cliff Pinckard, cpinckar in Health
REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — State officials are investigating after bird flu was detected in cows in a dairy operation in Northwest Ohio.
A news release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture says presumptive results from the cows in Wood County showed a positive result for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). State officials are awaiting confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
State officials say the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease and Prevention indicate there is little risk to public health because the pasteurization process involving dairy products. The CDC says people with “close or prolonged, unprotected exposures to infected birds or other animals (including livestock), or to environments contaminated by infected birds or other animals, are at greater risk of infection.” Otherwise, the risk to humans remains low.
The CDC reports a person in Texas has tested positive for the disease. The person reportedly was exposed to dairy cattle and is being treated. The cattle that tested positive in Wood County arrived from Texas dairy on March 8, state officials say.
The Wood County dairy notified state officials when the cows started showing symptoms of bird flu, which includes decreased lactation and low appetite. Both state and federal officials are continuing to investigate the situation in Wood County.
The disease was confirmed in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas in late March, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. It also has been detected in herds in Michigan, Idaho, and New Mexico. Bird flu typically affects 10% of a milking herd.
Federal and state agencies are conducting additional tests on sick animals and in unpasteurized clinical milk samples, state officials say. No deaths of cows have been confirmed from the illness and most recover within a few days.
The Department of Agriculture currently is not imposing any quarantines or movement restrictions on livestock, but restrictions could be implemented as testing continues and officials assess the risks.