At least 11 states have reported dairy cows stricken with Avian Flu. Agriculturalists are helping farmers prepare for any outbreak in New York.
The New York Farm Bureau is stressing vigilance about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, HPAI H5N1, which is causing worldwide concern. Farm Bureau CEO Deanna Fox says there are no confirmed cases of bird flu in the state. The closest confirmed cases are in Michigan. The bureau hasn't seen any indication of New York farms reporting illness that could be avian flu.
"We've had experiences with avian flu in previous years, in the past decades," Fox said. "This is different, because we're seeing it now transform and mutate to be affecting other forms of livestock, outside of poultry. So we're seeing it in other states, being present primarily in dairy cows and on beef farms."
Fox says unlike poultry farms, implementing biosecurity measures on dairy farms can be cost-prohibitive. So the emphasis, she says, should be on containing the spread of the virus when it has been detected.
"By monitoring who's coming onto farms, monitoring what vehicles are coming onto farms and where they were previously, being sure that we're not transporting cattle between farms that haven't been tested, and if there is an occurrence of HPAI on a farm, that there's an effective way to quickly identify it, test for it, isolate anyone in the herd that's affected, or anybody on the farm if it becomes a human problem. But we haven't seen that yet in New York, so right now, we're just taking precautions to make sure that we were not bringing it in from other states, and keeping our farmers, anybody visiting a farm, and all of our animals safe and healthy," said Fox.
Dr. Rob Lynch, a veterinarian and a dairy herd health extension specialist with Cornell University's PRO-DAIRY program, says farms are reviewing and enhancing their biosecurity plans to minimize the risk of the virus entering their land, while veterinarians work with farm employees on what to look for.
"The most common findings we've seen in herds that do have affected cows would be dramatic loss in milk production, loss of appetite and they're typically depressed, they've seen manure getting kind of stiff on those cows," said Lynch. "Some report fever, some report respiratory type signs, but the most common signs have been dramatic loss in milk production, to the point where the milk almost looks like a thick, like a colostrum, and a dramatic loss in appetite and rumination.”
Lynch says stricken cows do recover from the virus, but it takes a lot of supportive care. "Dairy cows do get over this. Farms lose a lot of milk production. So economically, it's, it's, it's severe. But when it gets into chicken barns and other domestic poultry barns, it's devastating. The mortality rates are tremendous. Those facilities end up getting depopulated. It's, really bad news for our avian agriculture colleagues,” Lynch said.
Lynch notes that there is no expected interruption in the milk supply nationally. He says repeated studies, including one recently released by the FDA, have demonstrated that commercial pasteurization inactivates the virus.
Fox says county Fairs and exhibitions in New York require testing that goes beyond existing protocols.
"Department of Ag and Markets requires that all lactating dairy be tested and show negative results for HPAI within a week entering the fair," said Fox, "so we feel confident that the Department of Ag and Markets is doing a fantastic job at monitoring spread of avian flu, whether that's in birds or cows or any other type of livestock. And when people go to the fairs this year, they'll also remain safe and healthy because of it."
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball says in a statement “we hope to minimize the risk of the spread of HPAI while providing the opportunity for the summer traditions of entering and showing of dairy cattle at fairs and exhibitions to continue.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says H5N1 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with four recent human cases in U.S. dairy workers. The CDC is using its flu surveillance systems to monitor for H5N1 activity in people.
