APRIL 25, 2024:
The Food and Drug Administration confirmed again this week pasteurization of milk consistent with the federal Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance destroys harmful pathogenic bacteria and other microorganisms, including Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. The data cited by the FDA is consistent with other studies demonstrating that the legally required temperature and time for milk pasteurization will readily inactivate HPAI.
Viral fragments detected after pasteurization are nothing more than evidence that the virus is dead and have zero impact on human health. Further, federal rules prohibit milk from sick cows from entering the food supply chain.
The National Milk Producers Federation and International Dairy Foods Association encourage the FDA to continue to gather scientific data and information that is consistent with its plans. The FDA has also remained consistent in its vigilance against raw milk consumption. Raw milk is a key vehicle in the transmission of human pathogens. As this situation continues to evolve, the dairy organizations strongly discourage the consumption of raw milk.
APRIL 12, 2024:
In response to recent concerns surrounding H5N1 Avian Influenza, South Dakota Department of Health Secretary, Melissa Magstadt, underscores collaborative efforts with the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources to safeguard the well-being of both the state’s population and livestock.
“The Department of Health is working with the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources to ensure the safety of the people and livestock in South Dakota. It’s important to note that the risk of human infection is low,” said Department of Health Secretary, Melissa Magstadt. “If you have had exposure to an H5N1-infected bird or animal and are showing signs and symptoms of infection, such as redness and swelling of the eye (conjunctivitis), cough, fever, or sore throat, visit your medical provider to be tested.”
Currently, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or risk to consumer health. Dairies are required to ensure only milk from healthy animals enter the food supply chain. Additionally, the pasteurization process of heating milk to a high temperature ensures milk and dairy products can be safely consumed, as confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In line with long-standing policy, the CDC does not recommend consuming unpasteurized milk or raw milk. Pasteurization has continually proven to successfully inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk.
For more information, please see the H5N1 Avian Influenza page on the DOH website.
APRIL 11, 2024:
The South Dakota Department of Agriculture (DANR) and the Animal Industry Board (AIB) have received confirmation from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) of the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a dairy cattle herd in South Dakota. This is the first confirmed case of HPAI in a dairy farm in South Dakota.
“South Dakota Dairy Producers encourages all dairy producers to closely monitor their herd and contact their herd veterinarian immediately if cattle appear symptomatic,” said Marv Post, Chairman of South Dakota Dairy Producers. “USDA continues to emphasize that pasteurization kills the virus and that milk and dairy products are safe to consume.”
Symptoms are mostly restricted to late-stage lactating cows and include a drop in milk production loss of appetite, and changes in manure consistency. Producers are encouraged to enforce their biosecurity plans such as limiting visitors, separating new animals and sick animals, and cleaning pens, equipment, vehicles, clothing, footwear, and hands.
Dairies are required to ensure only milk from healthy animals enter the food supply chain. Additionally, the pasteurization process of heating milk to a high temperature ensures milk and dairy products can be safely consumed, as confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or risk to consumer health. In line with long-standing policy, the CDC does not recommend consuming unpasteurized milk or raw milk. Pasteurization has continually proven to successfully inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk.
USDA, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state veterinary and public health officials, continue to investigate the emerging illness among dairy cows that is causing decreased lactation, low appetite, and other symptoms.
APRIL 5, 2024:
The Ohio Department of Agriculture received confirmation that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been found in an Ohio dairy herd. The state’s Department of Agriculture says it’s the first case of HPAI in an Ohio livestock operation. The dairy operation received cows from a Texas dairy on March 8, 224, which was the same dairy that later reported a confirmed HPAI detection in Texas. Ohio’s animal health officials were notified when the livestock began showing clinical signs compatible with sick, lactating dairy cows in other states.
The USDA, Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and state veterinary health officials are investigating the emerging illness among dairy cattle that’s causing decreased lactation, low appetite, and other symptoms. The FDA and CDC say there is no concern about the safety of commercially pasteurized dairy products due to federal health requirements and pasteurization. The public health risk associated with HPAI remains low.
APRIL 2, 2024:
Officials from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have confirmed the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in a Michigan dairy herd. That herd recently added cattle from Texas, one of the first states to report HPAI in dairy cattle. A University of Minnesota Extension article says APHIS also shared presumptive positive samples from New Mexico, Idaho, Ohio, and Texas.
The Idaho Department of Agriculture announced cattle in the state have tested positive for HPAI. HPAI historically affects birds but has been documented in cats, skunks, and foxes.
The virus found in Michigan is very similar to the viruses found in Texas and Kansas and appears to have been introduced into the cattle by wild birds.
In Idaho, the virus may have been transmitted from cow to cow.
USDA has stated that initial testing has not found changes to the virus that would make it easier to transmit to humans.
MARCH 27, 2024:
After HPAI was found in dairy cattle, the Meat Institute says that properly prepared beef is safe to eat and not a safety risk to humans. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USDA food safety experts say properly prepared beef is safe to eat,” says Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “HPAI cannot be transmitted to humans by eating meat or poultry products.” She also says the Meat Institute and its member companies will continue to be vigilant to aid in the efforts to stop the spread of the disease among animals in food production. “We will support the nation’s producers working to protect their herds,” Potts adds. The meat and poultry industries are among the most intensely regulated in the nation. Inspectors from the Food Safety and Inspection Service are present every day in meat packing plants and are trained to detect disease before and after slaughter.
MARCH 26, 2024:
UNDATED (AP)- Milk from dairy cows in Texas and Kansas has tested positive for bird flu, U.S. officials said Monday (March 25, 2024).
Officials with the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the flu virus is the Type A H5N1 strain, known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and to occasionally infect people. The virus is affecting older dairy cows in those states and in New Mexico, causing decreased lactation and low appetite.
It comes a week after officials in Minnesota announced that goats on a farm where there had been an outbreak of bird flu among poultry were diagnosed with the virus. It’s believed to be the first time bird flu — also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza — was found in U.S. livestock.
The commercial milk supply is safe and risk to people is low, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dairies are required to only allow milk from healthy animals to enter the food supply, and milk from the sick animals is being diverted or destroyed. Pasteurization also kills viruses and other bacteria, and the process is required for milk sold through interstate commerce, the agency said.
“At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health,” the USDA said in a statement.
The federal government said its tests in the cattle did not detect any changes to the virus that would make it spread more easily to people.
Dairy farmers in Texas first became concerned three weeks ago when cattle started falling ill with what officials called “mystery dairy cow disease,” Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said. Milk production fell sharply and the cows were lethargic and weren’t eating much.
“We hadn’t seen anything like it before,” he said. “It was kind of like they had a cold.”
The state’s animal health commission began an investigation that included tests for bird flu, spokeswoman Erin Robinson said. Based on findings from Texas, USDA officials think the cows got the virus from infected wild birds.
Experts say livestock appear to recover on their own within seven to 10 days. That’s different than bird flu outbreaks in poultry, which necessitate killing flocks to get rid of the virus. Since 2022, outbreaks have affected about 82 million wild and commercial birds in the U.S.
So far, the virus appears to be infecting about 10% of lactating dairy cows in the affected herds, said Michael Payne, a food animal veterinarian and and biosecurity expert with the University of California-Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security.
“This doesn’t look anything like the high-path influenza in bird flocks,” he said.
Bird flu was detected in unpasteurized, clinical samples of milk from sick cattle collected from two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas. The virus was also found in a nose and throat swab from another dairy in Texas.
Officials called it a rapidly evolving situation. The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are involved, along with officials in the three states. Another dairy-heavy state, Iowa, said it is monitoring the situation.
Dairy industry officials said that producers have started enhanced biosecurity efforts on U.S. farms, including limiting the amount of traffic into and out of properties and restricting visits to employees and essential personnel.
Bird flu previously has been reported in 48 different mammal species, Payne noted, adding: “It was probably only a matter of time before avian influenza made its way to ruminants.”
Statement from the National Milk Producers Federation, the International Dairy Foods Association, the U.S. Dairy Export Council and Dairy Management Inc.:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed (March 25, 2024) highly pathogenic avian influenza has been found in two dairy cattle herds in Texas and two herds in Kansas. USDA also confirmed that there is no threat to human health and milk and dairy products remain safe to consume. Pasteurization (high heat treatment) kills harmful microbes and pathogens in milk, including the influenza virus. To provide context on the overall size of the U.S. dairy herd, there are more 9.3 million dairy cows in the United States.
Also, routine testing and well-established protocols for U.S. dairy will continue to ensure that only safe milk enters the food supply. In keeping with the federal Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), milk from sick cows must be collected separately and is not allowed to enter the food supply chain. This means affected dairy cows are segregated, as is normal practice with any animal health concern, and their milk does not enter the food supply.
Consumers in the United States and around the world can remain confident in the safety and quality of U.S. dairy.
What is Pasteurization?
Pasteurization is a process that kills harmful bacteria and pathogens, including viruses, by heating milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time. The processing of milk products involves pasteurization of the raw milk to a minimum of 161.5˚F for 15 seconds and then immediately cooling it. Ultra pasteurization is a process that heats milk at a higher temperature for specified times to extend a product’s shelf life.
What is Avian Influenza?
Detections of avian influenza in birds, including chickens, are common in the United States in the spring and fall due to wild birds spreading the virus as they migrate to and from their seasonal homes. While it is uncommon for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza to affect dairy cows, USDA APHIS has been tracking detections of HPAI in mammals for many years in the United States, leading dairy farmers and veterinarians in the United States to prepare for this eventuality. As a result, dairy farmers have taken immediate measures to enhance biosecurity measures in and around dairy farms to keep the food supply safe.
About the Illness in Cows
Dairy producers with affected cows are reporting a rapid onset illness in herds, specifically among older, lactating cows. Clinical signs include:
- Decreased herd level milk production
- Acute sudden drop in production
- Decrease in feed consumption
- Abnormal feces and some fever
- Older cows may be more likely to be severely impacted than younger cows
According to dairy farmers and veterinarians reporting on affected herds, most affected cows recover within two to three weeks.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is aware that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in samples collected from dairy cattle in the United States. Importantly, the agency confirmed there is no threat to human health, and milk and meat remains safe to consume. USDA has confirmed that affected dairy cows do not appear to be transmitting the virus to other cattle within the same herd.
At present, HPAI has not been detected in beef cattle. However, producers are encouraged to implement enhanced biosecurity measures on their farms and ranches to help protect their herds. For more information on animal health protocols and developing an effective biosecurity plan, cattle farmers and ranchers are encouraged to visit www.bqa.org, and complete or update their certification in Beef Quality Assurance practices. Producers can also visit usda.gov for resources on how to manage wildlife to limit exposure to HPAI.
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