Avian Flu

Nebraska has confirmed its first case of bird flu in a dairy cattle herd as a lingering 18-month outbreak continues to afflict livestock nationwide. Additionally, animal health officials have detected bird flu in a turkey flock in Redwood County, the first new confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Minnesota poultry since April.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended its emergency response for bird flu as the outbreak that sickened dozens of people, spread to cattle and drove up egg prices has abated. The emergency designation ended in the last week.

Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported Wednesday morning that “the U.S. will invest up to $1 billion to combat the spread of bird flu, including increasing imports of eggs, agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday.” “The USDA will spend up to $500 million to provide free biosecurity audits to farms and $400 million to increase payment […]

NBC News’ Allan Smith, Melanie Zanona and Laura Strickler reported that “the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday that, over the weekend, it accidentally fired ‘several’ agency employees who are working on the federal government’s response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak. The agency said it is now trying to quickly reverse the firings.” “‘Although […]

Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher reported Sunday that “the Trump administration is preparing a plan for combatting avian flu that will move away from depopulating entire infected flocks and rely instead on ‘biosecurity and medication’ to contain outbreaks, says President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser.” “Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said on CBS’ Face […]

The New York Times’ Apoorva Mandavilli reported Monday that “when bird flu first struck dairy cattle a year ago, it seemed possible that it might affect a few isolated herds and disappear as quickly as it had appeared. Instead, the virus has infected more than 900 herds and dozens of people, killing one, and the […]

NBC News’ Evan Bush reported this past weekend that “the simmering threat of bird flu may be inching closer to boiling over. This year has been marked by a series of concerning developments in the virus’ spread.” “Since April, at least 65 people have tested positive for the virus — the first U.S. cases other […]

Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported at the end of this past week that “the U.S. issued a federal order on Friday mandating that the national milk supply be tested for bird flu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters, as authorities seek to grapple with rapid spread of the virus among dairy herds.” “The USDA first announced […]

Reuters’ Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek reported Wednesday that “H5N1 bird flu was confirmed in a pig on a backyard farm in Oregon, the first detection of the virus in swine in the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday.” “Pigs represent a particular concern for the spread of bird flu because they […]

Successful Farming’s Chuck Abbott reported that “on the same day the CDC confirmed the third human case of bird flu in California, state officials said Wednesday that they had identified two more possible infections, also farmworkers in the Central Valley. In less than six weeks, California has become the U.S. hot spot for bird flu, […]

NPR’s Juliana Kim reported over the weekend that “health officials have identified a person in Missouri sick with bird flu despite having no known contact with animals — marking the first case of the virus in the U.S. this year not linked to farm work.” “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that […]

Reuters’ Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek reported Thursday that “the U.S. bird-flu outbreak in dairy cattle is much larger than official figures suggest due to farmers’ reluctance to test their animals and risk the economic consequences of a positive result, according to Reuters interviews with dairy experts, veterinarians, and farmers in six states with known […]

Reuters’ Leah Douglas and Julie Steenhuysen reported Tuesday that “the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday it plans to spend $10 million to curb farm worker bird flu infections, including $5 million for seasonal flu vaccines, as part of its efforts to avoid further spread and mutation of the virus.” “The […]

Reuters’ Tom Polansek and Brijesh Patel reported Monday that “Oklahoma has become the 13th U.S. state to detect bird flu in dairy cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed on Monday, though the state said the infection happened months ago.” “The confirmation shows the outbreak was more widespread than U.S. authorities knew after the virus […]

Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported last week that “public health officials in Colorado on Wednesday announced an adult man had tested positive for avian flu after reporting mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis, or pink eye. The man is an employee at a dairy farm who had exposure to infected cattle and recovered after antiviral treatment, officials said.” […]

Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported Thursday that “USDA will now pay dairy farmers for lost milk production if their herds have been infected with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza.” “Starting Monday, July 1, producers who have confirmed infections in their herds can apply for lost milk production at the Farm Service Agency under the Emergency […]

Reuters’ Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek reported Thursday that “dairy cows infected with avian flu in five U.S. states have died or been slaughtered by farmers because they did not recover, state officials and academics told Reuters.” “Reports of the deaths suggest the bird flu outbreak in cows could take a greater economic toll in […]