For the first time, the avian flu virus is breaking species barriers, infecting dairy cattle in the United States and Ohio, seal pups in Argentina, and a polar bear in Alaska.
Now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is ordering all dairy cattle to be tested prior to moving the animals across state lines after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration detected inactive particles of the H5N1 virus in one out of every five retail milk samples tested. The mandate takes effect on Monday, and the Ohio Department of Agriculture offered assurances that it is ready to comply.
“State animal health officials will be working to ensure Ohio’s dairy industry is informed of the new federal order requirements and that ODA’s field and laboratory staff are prepared for an influx of testing. Ohio will continue to follow the guidance provided by its federal partners as experts continue to monitor and understand the extent of the virus,” said Meghan Harshbarger, ODA’s chief of communications.
The increased testing of dairy cattle for H5N1 will not only help gain a better grasp of the virus’ spread but will help curb the expansion of the virus, especially to poultry, according to Greg Habing, a professor and interim chair of the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at Ohio State University.
“It is more broadly distributed than we previously thought,” said Mr. Habing, who described the USDA's mandate as unusual because states usually handle the movement of cattle. “A lot of requirements for testing of the movement of animals are at the state level. ... It is definitely unusual.”
A dairy cattle herd in Wood County is recovering from a first-ever avian flu outbreak in livestock, the ODA reports. The risk to human health is low, according to local and national experts.
“They have been very helpful,” Dennis Summers, chief of the Division of Animal Health in the ODA, said of the Wood County farm’s biosecurity efforts. “They are doing a very good job.”
As of Wednesday, Ohio is one of eight states, including Michigan, that have seen dairy cows infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) this year, the USDA reported. It is the first time dairy cattle have become infected with this H5N1 bird flu.
The 2024 infections have been traced to a herd in Texas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. The Wood County dairy farm had acquired some cows from that herd just before the virus had been detected on the Texas farm. So far, there have been reports of 33 herds in the United States being infected, according to the USDA.
“This being a new detection in a new species, the United States Department of Agriculture classified it as an emerging disease,” said Mr. Summers, noting that the situation involved working through some unknowns while allowing the farm to implement risk mitigation strategies.
Another milestone is that a person in Texas contracted the virus in the first instance of cow-to-human spread of bird flu, according to the CDC, which maintains there is a low risk for transmission from dairy cows to people. There is no sign of person-to-person spread of the virus at this time, though the situation is emerging and rapidly evolving, the CDC reports.
The infected man, who had been working at a commercial dairy cattle farm in Texas, reported eye redness consistent with conjunctivitis as the only symptom and is recovering, according to a report by the CDC, which continues to monitor the situation.
In Michigan, herds in four counties — Ionia, Montcalm, Isabella, and Ottawa — have been identified with the H5N1 virus.
“What is happening with HPAI in Michigan mirrors what is happening in states across the country,” said Tim Boring, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. “This virus does not stop at county or state lines, which is why we must all be on high alert. This news is unfortunate and upsetting for our poultry and dairy farming families and communities.”
The CDC recommends that raw milk not be consumed, and pasteurization is protecting commercial sources of milk. Those cows with the active virus will not be contributing their milk to the marketplace.
“It is important for the public to understand we are fully confident in our food safety products,” said Mr. Summers, adding that his own family is continuing to consume nearly three gallons of milk each week.
The FDA issued an advisory Tuesday with assurances that pasteurization is effectively protecting the nation’s milk supply.
“U.S. government partners have been working with deliberate speed on a wide range of studies looking at milk along all stages of production — on the farm, during processing, and on shelves — using well-established methodologies to confirm pasteurization effectiveness for known pathogens,” the advisory read. This work is a top priority, and we are proceeding in an efficient, methodical, and scientific fashion.
Bird flu can be devastating in poultry flocks, and millions of birds have been culled to prevent the spread of the virus, which is fatal and highly contagious in birds. However, its symptoms are different in mammals, according to Michigan State Veterinarian Nora Wineland.
Michigan poultry farms are dealing with multiple outbreaks.
“HPAI doesn’t affect dairy cows the same way as it does with poultry,” she said. “With proper veterinary care, cows are recovering.”
As of Tuesday, no poultry flocks in Ohio have contracted avian flu, nor have any other dairy herds in the state contracted the virus.
“The magnitude of this is pretty large,” said Dr. Jim Tita, a pulmonologist with Mercy Health Respiratory Specialists. He noted that 90 million chickens in the United States have died or been culled as a result of the virus since February, 2022.
“We do have a huge outbreak in the United States,” he said of the birds, primarily waterfowl that have been transmitting the virus to domesticated flocks. “Now, we have it in our livestock. The United States is the hotbed of this epidemic.”
While symptoms in cows include lack of appetite, a significant drop in milk production, and dehydration, symptoms in humans are comparable to any other influenza, including a low-grade fever, chills, dehydration, fatigue, and loss of appetite. Gastrointestinal distress is uncommon with this strain of the virus.
“Human deaths have occurred, and that is uncommon,” Dr. Tita said.
From 2003 to March 25, 2024, there have been 888 worldwide human cases, including 463 deaths, of H5N1 from 23 countries reported to the World Health Organization.
The bird flu is not new. The H5N1 virus was first detected in domesticated waterfowl in southern China in 1996, according to the CDC. The latest genetic sequencing of the H5N1 virus has been posted by the USDA for worldwide study.
“These viruses, as we learned from COVID, mutate,” said Dr. Tita, reporting that antivirals have been developed and do work. In addition, vaccines are in development.
In the past, avian flu has been detected in mammals, including raccoons, ferrets, and bears. Recently, the virus was the cause in the deaths of about 17,000 southern elephant seal pups in Argentina, according to a study published in December of 2023. The Argentine Government Animal Health Service confirmed the data and acknowledged this was the first case of avian flu in that population.
“The virus is mutating,” Dr. Tita said.
Mr. Habing said local dairy farmers should know the illness and what to look for. Every farm should have a biosecurity plan in place. In addition, dairy workers, especially those milking cows, may want to increase their use of personal protection equipment, such as safety goggles.
“There are lots of reasons not to drink raw milk,” said Mr. Habing, adding that H5N1 is just one more reason. “Pasteurization is definitely a public health benefit.”
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