Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas, primarily in older cows, according to the USDA.

USDA, the Food and Drug Administration and the federal Centers for Disease Control have been working with state veterinary and public health officials to investigate an illness in older dairy cows reported in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico.

The disease has been causing decreased lactation, low appetite and other symptoms. The cows recover from it after a couple of weeks, officials said.

More testing was done on March 22 and over the weekend because farmers also reported finding deceased wild birds on their properties.

Based on findings from Texas, the illness, HPIA, appears to have been introduced by wild birds.

About 10% of each herd appears to be impacted, with little to no associated mortality reported among the animals. Four herds were impacted, two each in Texas and Kansas.

Initial testing by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories has not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans. That indicates the current risk to the public remains low, officials said.

Additional testing

Federal and state agencies said they are moving quickly to conduct additional testing for HPAI, as well as conducting viral genome sequencing, so they can better understand the situation, including characterization of the HPAI strain or strains associated with the detections.

“Importantly, USDA confirmed that there is no threat to human health and milk and dairy products remain safe to consume,” the National Milk Producers Federation, International Foods Association, U.S. Dairy Export Council and Dairy Management Inc., said in a press release.

Pasteurization kills harmful microbes and pathogens in milk, including the influenza virus, they said.

“In keeping with the federal Grade ‘A’ Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, milk from sick cows must be collected separately and is not allowed to enter the food chain,” they said.

That is normal practice with any animal health concern.

Safety protocols

Also routine and well-established protocols for U.S. dairy will continue to ensure only safe milk enters the food supply. Dairy farmers have also begun implementing enhanced biosecurity measures on their farms, the groups said.

Dairy farmers and veterinarians reporting on the affected herds said most cows recover in two to three weeks, the groups reported.

Dairy producers observing any clinical signs should report the signs immediately to their state veterinarian.

HPAI has not been detected in beef cattle, but producers are encouraged to implement enhanced biosecurity measures on their farms and ranches, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said in a statement.

Information on biosecurity measures can be found at USDA, National Dairy Farm Program and Beef Quality Assurance.