The outbreak of avian flu in US cattle herds was reported to have reached Minnesota on Thursday when the state’s board of animal health said a farmer had reported more than 40 cows with signs of fever. The animals were tested on Monday and the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) national veterinary services laboratories confirmed the positive test. The entire herd has been quarantined for 30 days to reduce the risk of the virus spreading off the farm and milk from the sick cows disposed of, the Minnesota state board of agriculture said.
State veterinarian Brian Hoefs said the herd was recovering and noted that “it was only a matter of time before this detection would reach our doorstep”. A multistate outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in dairy cows was first reported in herds in Kansas and Texas in March, marking the first time bird flu viruses had been found in cattle. The following month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a person had contracted H5N1 from exposure to dairy cows presumed to be infected in Texas.
Last month the agency reported additional cases in humans exposed to infected cattle. More than 80 dairy herds are now reported to have been infected across 11 states since late March, with three dairy workers testing positive, including two in Michigan. The virus is not believed to have acquired the ability to transmit infections between humans.
However, health officials in Mexico last month confirmed a fatal case of human infection with a.
