The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in dairy cattle continues to infect new herds and has become a priority for state departments of agriculture, state veterinarians, local veterinarians, dairy producers and industry partners.
“There are now nine states with positive cases after Colorado joined the list on May 1,” said Dr. Matthew Hille, who is at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Veterinary Diagnostic Center and the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
This week the Nebraska Department of Agriculture issued a statement that it continues to monitor for HPAI virus in dairy cattle. On April 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a federal order, mandating testing for interstate movement of lactating dairy cattle as well as mandatory reporting of positive cases.
While there have been no reported cases of HPAI in Nebraska dairy cattle or other livestock, to help protect the dairy herd in Nebraska, NDA has issued an importation order that requires all breeding female dairy cattle entering the state of Nebraska to obtain a permit issued by NDA prior to entry.
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The importation order has been extended until May 31, and will be re-evaluated at that time. To obtain a permit, producers must contact NDA at 402-471-2351.
More information is available on NDA’s website at nda.nebraska.gov/animal/imports.
Detection of this new distinct HPAI H5N1 virus genotype in dairy cattle poses a new animal disease risk for dairy cattle — as well as an additional disease risk to domestic poultry farms — since this genotype can infect both cattle and poultry, noted the NDA this week.
“This is an evolving situation that continues to be a priority,” State Veterinarian Dr. Roger Dudley said. “We are in contact with Nebraska dairy producers, veterinarians, industry partners and officials at the state and federal level. We are closely monitoring the situation and are here to put plans in place to protect Nebraska producers and their livestock, and to minimize the impact HPAI could have on dairy producers in the state.”
NDA recommends adhering to strict biosecurity practices in operations. If dairy producers notice symptoms — acute sudden drop in milk production, changes in milk color/consistency, decreased feed intake and other clinical signs, they should contact their herd veterinarian and NDA immediately at 402-471-2351.
The Nebraska State Veterinarian’s Office business hours are Monday-Friday8 a.m.-5 p.m. (Central Time 8 a.m.-5 p.m. CT.
Establishing clean and dirty areas.
Controlling movements between areas.
Controlling stray animals and pests.
Proper cleaning and disinfection.
Monitoring animal health and disease.
Quarantining new arrivals for at least 30 days.
Recording all visitors to the farm
Preventing manure contamination of feed and equipment.
There are some practices that owners can follow to keep animals safe and healthy:
Always keep a clean pair of shoes to use on the premises. If you must visit multiple spots, make sure you have different clean pairs for each spot or disinfect your shoes before going from one premise to another.
Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use a 60% alcohol gel before you touch any animal.
Change your clothes and footwear before meeting the animals.
Spray tires with Spray tires with a disinfectant before re-entering the premises.
Clean and disinfect all feed delivery equipment between deliveries and farms.
Since March USDA, the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state veterinary and public health officials and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network laboratories have been investigating the emergence of the HPAI, H5N1 virus in dairy cows.
For producers who need dairy cattle tested, samples will go to the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. This nationally coordinated network is a partnership of federal, state and university-associated animal diagnostic laboratories. The laboratories are trained, and proficiency tested by USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories to perform official federal animal health testing.
The network provides ongoing disease surveillance, responds quickly to disease events, communicates diagnostic outcomes to decision makers, and has the capability and capacity to meet diagnostic needs during animal disease outbreaks.
It is important for producers to note that APHIS will provide reimbursement for testing at NAHLN labs, including samples submitted for dairy cattle suspected of disease due to clinical signs, pre-movement testing, producers interested in the disease status of their asymptomatic animals and samples taken from other animals on dairies associated with this disease event.
The Food and Drug Administration further notes, “Milk from ill (symptomatic) animals is being diverted or destroyed so that it does not enter the human food supply. Milk lost resulting from symptomatic cattle to date is too limited to have a major impact on supply and there should be no impact on the price of milk or other dairy products.”
With updates occurring daily Hille said, “I try to keep the dairy Extension site updated at dairy.unl.edu.”
There have been some thoughts regarding the potential risk to beef cattle, said the veterinarian.
“While influenza viruses can change over resulting in them becoming more/less pathogenic to certain species, we simply aren’t seeing any issues in beef cattle of any age/sex/reproductive status due to H5N1 HPAI virus,” Hille said. “So overall, I think it’s safe to say the risk is minimal (at most) regarding beef cattle becoming affected in any meaningful way. Although I think it is extremely unlikely, that can change, which is why many are interested in following this disease closely in dairy cattle.”
As for human exposure, Hille said, “To my knowledge there has been only one dairy worker diagnosed with H5N1 conjunctivitis (inflammation around the eye).”
That case was diagnosed in Texas where herds have been infected with the virus. The Texas Department of State Health Services along with other state, regional and federal partners is investigating the situation and has issued a health alert but notes the risk to the public is low.
The CDC has issued a similar alert, encouraging those in contact with dairy animals suspected of having avian influenza to be vigilant.
The bottom line, said Hille, “dairy and beef products continue to be safe and there’s no evidence that will change.”