Bird Flu Discovered in Cows: What We Know So Far

In late March, the H5N1 bird flu virus was first discovered in cows, prompting farmers to discard the milk of sick animals. The US Department of Agriculture instructed farmers to check cows displaying symptoms suspicious of the disease. However, the presence of the virus in commercial milk suggests that these measures were not entirely effective. The virus was detected in cattle herds in eight states: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio, and Texas.

While its effects on humans are not yet clear, it is known to be a deadly virus that has caused millions of bird deaths. Public health officials in the US are concerned about the spread of bird flu as the H5N1 virus can be highly deadly to humans. However, it does not spread easily from person to person so the US Centers for Disease Control deemed it not an immediate threat to the public.

Cows that test positive for the virus must undergo a 30-day quarantine period before being tested again. Despite mandatory pasteurization of milk in the US which is supposed to kill any bacteria or virus; the presence of bird flu strain in milk products raises questions about how it survived the process.

Bird flu is a viral disease that primarily affects birds but can also be transmitted to humans through contact with infected feathers or body fluids. Symptoms in humans are similar to regular flu and COVID-19 including fever, cough, sore throat