The U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon begin testing bulk raw milk across the country for bird flu, a significant expansion of the agency’s efforts to stifle the rapid spread of the virus, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters.
The move comes after livestock and veterinary groups pushed the USDA to strengthen its current surveillance approach, calling it inadequate to contain the virus, according to state records and industry documents reviewed by Reuters.
The agency in early November will begin sampling milk in states where dairy cattle have contracted bird flu, including testing specific farms as needed to track the virus’ spread, Vilsack said in an interview. USDA will then begin testing in states that have not identified the virus in dairy cows, he said.
The rapid spread of the virus in California, where nearly 200 dairy herds have tested positive since late August, contributed to the USDA’s decision that further surveillance efforts are needed, Vilsack said. “These situations evolve over time and as they evolve over time there needs to be a recalibration and adjustment,” Vilsack added.
The effort adds to an emergency order issued in April that requires testing of cattle moving across state lines, and a USDA program that covers farmers’ costs for voluntary testing. Reuters previously reported USDA had softened those rules following pushback from state officials and industry representatives.
Bird flu has infected nearly 400 dairy herds in 14 states and at least 36 people, according to data from the USDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Virologists and federal health officials are also concerned the convergence of bird flu and seasonal influenza could enable the bird flu virus to mutate if people become co-infected, making it more easily transmissible among humans. For now, the CDC has said the danger to the general population remains low.
Source: Reuters
