Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu Detected in Dairy Cows in Michigan, Idaho, New Mexico, Kansas and Texas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has reported that a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), initially detected in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, has now spread to additional herds in Michigan, Idaho, and New Mexico.

Federal health officials announced on Friday that Michigan had confirmed cases of the virus marking an unprecedented event in the state’s agricultural history, while Idaho and New Mexico have reported presumptive positive tests.

Tim Boring, the Director of MDARD, described the situation as “rapidly evolving,” highlighting the unusual nature of this flu’s transmission.

The source of the infection has been traced back to a herd of cattle from Texas, which was relocated to a commercial farm in Michigan on March 7, according to MLive.

Despite passing all health inspections upon arrival, the first signs of illness were observed on March 20, with the state lab confirming the presence of the highly pathogenic avian flu by March 26.

The infection’s confirmation comes amidst reports by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of similar outbreaks in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, attributed to transmission via wild birds. However, health officials have reassured the public that the risk remains low, with no indication of the virus mutating to become transmissible to humans.

While MDARD has not disclosed the number of affected cows, measures are in place to ensure there is no impact on the commercial milk supply. According to Tim Slawinski, director of Michigan’s Bureau of Food Safety and Animal Health, strict protocols at both the farm and processing levels effectively prevent milk from infected animals from entering the supply chain.

This outbreak is part of the broader impact of the deadliest bird flu in U.S. history, which has led to the deaths of over 82 million birds since January 2022 and a significant spike in egg prices.

The flu’s ease of spread among poultry through direct contact or contaminated materials poses ongoing challenges to containment efforts.

In Michigan alone, nearly 118,000 birds across commercial and backyard flocks have been affected, according to MLive.

USDA released the following statement:

USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) has now also confirmed the presence of HPAI in a Michigan dairy herd that had recently received cows from Texas. Presumptive positive test results have also been received for additional herds in New Mexico, Idaho, and Texas; USDA will share updates if those tests are confirmed positive by NVSL. Federal and state agencies continue to conduct additional testing in swabs from sick animals and in unpasteurized clinical milk samples from sick animals, as well as viral genome sequencing, to assess whether HPAI or another unrelated illness may be underlying any symptoms

The NVSL has also confirmed that the strain of the virus found in Michigan is very similar to the strain confirmed in Texas and Kansas that appears to have been introduced by wild birds (H5N1, Eurasian lineage goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b).  Initial testing has not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans. While cases among humans in direct contact with infected animals are possible, this indicates that the current risk to the public remains low.

Spread of symptoms among the Michigan herd also indicates that HPAI transmission between cattle cannot be ruled out; USDA and partners continue to monitor this closely and have advised veterinarians and producers to practice good biosecurity, test animals before necessary movements, minimize animal movements, and isolate sick cattle from the herd. Among the dairies whose herds are exhibiting symptoms, the affected animals have recovered after isolation with little to no associated mortality reported.

There continues to be no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply because products are pasteurized before entering the market, 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 human food supply. In addition, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. Pasteurization is required for any milk entering interstate commerce for human consumption. FDA’s longstanding position is that unpasteurized, raw milk can harbor dangerous microorganisms that can pose serious health risks to consumers, and FDA is reminding consumers of the risks associated with raw milk consumption in light of the HPAI detections.

Because of the limited information available about the transmission of HPAI in raw milk, the FDA recommends that industry does not manufacture or sell raw milk or raw/unpasteurized milk cheese products made with milk from cows showing symptoms of illness, including those infected with avian influenza or exposed to those infected with avian influenza.  At this time, the FDA is not aware that any milk or food product from symptomatic cows is entering interstate commerce.  Furthermore, if milk from cows showing symptoms of illness, including those infected with avian influenza or exposed to those infected with avian influenza is intended to be used to feed calves, FDA strongly encourages that it be heat treated to kill harmful bacteria or viruses, such as influenza, before calf feeding. Food safety information from FDA, including information about the sale and consumption of raw milk, can be found here.

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. Further, the U.S. typically has a more than sufficient milk supply in the spring months due to seasonally higher production.

Federal agencies are also working with state and industry partners to encourage farmers and veterinarians to report cattle illnesses quickly so that we can monitor potential additional cases and minimize the impact and risk to farmers, farmworkers, consumers and other animals. Producers are urged to work with their veterinarian to report cattle illnesses quickly and practice enhanced biosecurity measures.

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