Bird Flu: A Growing Concern in the US and its Potential Impact on Cattle and Humans

Bird flu, or avian influenza, has been a growing concern in the US since its outbreak in late March. At first, farmers were advised to discard the milk of sick cows and check cows displaying symptoms of the disease. However, the virus was later detected in commercial milk products, indicating that these measures were not entirely effective. The H5N1 virus has been found in cattle herds in eight states: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio, and Texas.

While its effects on humans are not yet clear, bird flu is known to be a deadly virus that has caused millions of bird deaths. Public health officials in the US are concerned about its potential spread to humans as it can be highly deadly. However, it does not spread easily from person to person like COVID-19 does. So far, only one person infected with the virus has been identified and is under active surveillance for potential infection.

Cows that test positive for the virus must undergo a 30-day quarantine period before being tested again. Despite mandatory pasteurization of milk in the US, which is supposed to kill any bacteria or virus present in milk products, questions remain about how the bird flu strain survived this process.

Bird flu is a viral disease that primarily affects birds but can also be transmitted to humans through close contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces. Symptoms in humans are similar to regular flu and COVID-19 and include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, fatigue, diarrhea