Nationwide, more than 850 dairy cattle herds have tested positive for the bird flu virus, according to the USDA. A majority of them – over 600 herds – are in California, the biggest dairy producer in the U.S.
But the virus has also been detected in Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico.
Now, federal officials are testing samples of raw or unpasteurized milk from dairy processing sites across the U.S. Farmers will also have to share information to help with contact tracing.
“We want to stomp this out,” said J.J. Goicoechea, director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture. “That is our ultimate goal – is to get rid of this disease in dairy cattle in the United States. The only way to do that is knowing where it is, so we can get aggressive with it.”
Goicoechea said the Nevada Department of Agriculture has quarantined the state’s only infected dairy herd, based in Nye County, which will be tested until all cows are virus-free. The agency is also working to remove bird populations suspected of spreading the virus – non-native European starlings – around several dairy farms in Nye, Lyon, and Churchill counties.
Notably, the risk to people from the bird flu is low, said Goicoechea, adding that pasteurized milk is safe to drink because the heat treatment kills the virus. Meanwhile, the federal government warns against drinking raw milk, which can carry dangerous germs such as Salmonella, E. coli, and others that cause food poisoning.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
