The USDA has confirmed the detection of avian influenza in Coloradan dairy cows, per a report from the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Similar detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) have been found in eight other states.
Cattle afflicted with HPAI reportedly eat less, produce less milk, and the milk they produce can be abnormal and "colostrum-like." Impacted cattle are able to recover after receiving the right care.
“We continue to see this ongoing HPAI outbreak evolve and over the last month have seen transmission of the virus now move into dairy cattle. While we don't yet completely understand the mechanism of transmission of this virus, we do know that it appears to be spreading from cow to cow and between herds,” said Colorado State Veterinarian Dr. Maggie Baldwin. “It is critically important that producers implement enhanced biosecurity measures to mitigate the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza.”
According to the USDA, there isn't a concern regarding the safety of the milk supply at this time thanks to pasteurization. The risk to the general public remain low, with this strain of HPAI only having been detected in humans twice – including in one Coloradan in 2022, as well as another Texan case in 2024. Both cases resulted in minor symptoms and no person-to-person transmission has been detected.
A few security measures being taken include monitoring sick animals, limiting movement of animals between herds, limiting the movement of people, equipment, and vehicles on farm property, and monitoring for odd behavior and die-offs among both domestic and wild animal populations. The USDA has also issued a federal order that requires mandatory reporting of HPAI cases in cattle to the USDA and mandatory testing of lactating dairy cattle during interstate travel.
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