By Anna Pope
Oklahoma is the 13th state to find the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in dairy cows.
In the U.S., 157 cases of dairy flu in livestock and eight cases in humans have been reported this year. This is the first report of the virus in Oklahoma livestock, and no human cases have been detected in the state.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture shows two positive cases in the state and Lee Benson, a public information officer at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF), said the milk samples came from two barns on the same farm.
The samples were gathered in April and recently submitted to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Benson said the delay was because farmers were unsure the cows had the bird flu and banked the samples in April.
He said the samples were sent to federal officials after the announcement of aUSDA program offering aid for milk production losses.
“Those samples were then, as far as we know… received by USDA the first week of July,” Benson said. “And then ODAFF was notified by USDA of a confirmed positive last week.”
The herd fully recovered and has not reported other cases of the dairy flu. Benson declined to release details about the number of cattle infected or the location of the farm, citing state law.
State officials stress commercial pasteurized milk and other dairy products continue to be safe. Pasteurization is when milk is heated to a certain temperature for a set period of time to kill off pathogens that can result in diseases like tuberculosis and diphtheria.
“Also, federal animal health requirements help ensure that food that are sent for human consumption only comes from healthy animals,” Benson said. “So pasteurization, federal animal health requirements - all of that means that from a human health standpoint, there's very, very low risk at this time.”
Most affected dairy cattle recover with supportive treatment and the cull or mortality rate is 2% or less, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Avian influenza is especially concerning for poultry producers because it spreads quickly and is deadly to birds. Usually, when the virus infects a flock, the birds are culled.
The avian flu has affected about 2.1 million poultry across the nation, with 142,220 birds in Oklahoma, according to the USDA. The last case reported in poultry was last December.
Lactating cows are mostly affected, and federal officials require tests for cows that travel across state lines. Oklahoma State Veterinarian Rod Hall said it’s taken the state longer to have a confirmed livestock case because its dairy industry is set up differently than neighboring states.
“We have some dairies that bring some lactating dairy cows into the state but it's rare for us to send a lactating dairy cow out of the state, unless they're going directly to slaughter, in which case testing is not required,” Hall said.
Signs of dairy flu in cattle can include low appetite and reduced milk production. Hall said if producers see cows showing symptoms, they should contact the state department of agriculture and a veterinarian for testing.
“I think the main thing is that I continue to encourage our dairies to talk to us,” Hall said. “If they think they have an issue, give us a call, we're happy to visit with them. And if they need some help deciding whether to sample or how to sample, where to sample, where to send the samples - we're happy to do that.”
Hall said the virus could be spreading through equipment, trucks or on people’s clothes. In a statement, he said officials have monitored the bird flu cases since the nation’s first detection and his team has been communicating with dairies, asking them to increase their biosecurity measures.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has made personal protective equipment available and Hall said the state Department of Agriculture has dairy inspectors distributing the gear, making sure producers know about the situation and informing them of the USDA programs concerning the virus.
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