As we all know, the H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle is an evolving situation. The NWNY team has recently partnered with local public health officials and veterinarians in parts of our region to ensure a “One Health” approach when preparing for and responding to H5N1 in dairy cattle.
Here is a summary of important updates you need to know from the past week:
|
Confirmed Cases |
# of States |
|
| Last 30 days |
48 |
6 (Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas) |
| Total outbreak |
140 |
12 |
* Interactive map showing the status of all states.
Going to fair? See last week’s blog post which includes HPAI Fair Regulations for lactating dairy cattle.
Human Health:
The 4th case of H5N1 in a human in the US was reported last week in a dairy farm employee in Colorado. He recovered, with treatment, from conjunctivitis.
Why should we be concerned about getting H5N1 if the signs are so mild? Every time a human is infected with H5N1, it is an opportunity for the virus to change and infect another human. This mutation often occurs when the patient has another flu virus and the two mix genes. When human-to-human transmission occurs, there is a risk of a pandemic. This has happened three times in the past century with Influenza A viruses: Spanish Flu (1918), Asian Flu (1957) and Hong Kong Flu (1968). Combined, this resulted in over 45 million deaths. For comparison, Covid19 has led to jst over 7 million reported deaths.
What should we do to prevent human cases? First, let’s get serious about biosecurity to try our best to keep H5N1 out of New York! Most important- limit animal and human movement between farms. The only case of H5N1 in cattle that was linked directly to migratory birds was the first affected herd in February. Since then, all transmission appears to be through the movement of cattle or fomites (humans or equipment). Full biosecurity guidelines: English and Spanish.
Limiting wild migratory birds is still a good practice, but doesn’t appear to give us as much return on investment at this point. Here are the species H5N1 has been reported in since October 2023: Turkey, Poultry, WOAH Non-Poultry, Live Bird Market; Bald eagle, Black-billed magpie, Common grackle, Hawk, Horned grebe, Red-tailed hawk, Rock dove, Rock pigeon; Bobcat, Cat, Cattle, Red fox, Virginia opossum.
Want to improve your biosecurity plan for free? Funding is available. Apply through our Area Veterinarian in Charge, contact below.
