Tests Confirm H5N1 in Another Idaho Dairy Herd, Plus Cats and Poultry From Other States

By Lisa Schnirring

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today confirmed an H5N1 avian flu detection in Idaho dairy cattle, the state’s first since October. So far it’s not clear if the finding is linked to a bulk milk detection or from illness symptoms. Also, it’s not yet known whether the virus is the B3.13 genotype that has circulated widely in dairy cattle or another jump involving the D1.1 genotype, which has circulated widely in wild birds and over the last several weeks has cropped in dairy cattle in Nevada and Arizona.

Since early 2024, APHIS has reported 977 H5N1 detections in dairy cattle from 17 states.

More detections in cats and poultry

In other developments, APHIS reported seven more H5N1 confirmations in domestic cats. Three are from Washington (King and Snohomish counties) and two are from Oregon. A Washington-based pet food maker Wild Coast Raw recently recalled some of its raw food after an investigation into deaths found a link to the food, which is only sold in those two states.

The two other detections involved cat from Colorado’s Garfield County and another from New Jersey’s Hunterdon County.

Also, the agency reported more H5N1 detections in poultry from two states, which include two live bird markets in New York’s Queens County and in a backyard flock in Wyoming’s Hot Springs County.