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This story will be continually updated as new cases are reported to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
To date, 442 dairy herds in 15 states have been found to be carrying Highly-Pathological Avian Influenza (HPAI), a virus originally found in wild birds and usually associated with turkey and poultry flocks. The first known transmission found in a dairy cow herd was announced on March 25 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), with herds in Kansas and Texas suffering from illness and testing positive.
Since the original diagnosis, herds in New Mexico, Ohio, Idaho, Michigan, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, California, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming have been identified as carrying HPAI. The USDA has created a webpage with a list of the date each herd was diagnosed.
USDA, APHIS
Symptoms
Some dairy cows have tested positive for HPAI despite being asymptomatic, per the USDA. In a majority of cases, dairy cattle have shown symptoms such as these listed by the Kansas Department of Agriculture:
“Symptoms are mostly restricted to late-stage lactating cows and include a drop in milk production, loss of appetite, and changes in manure consistency. We encourage dairy producers to minimize wildlife access to their dairy cattle’s water and feed sources.”
While HPAI is normally fatal for poultry and turkey, dairy cows are generally able to recover in about two weeks when receiving treatment. A Reuters report confirmed that cows infected with bird flu have been culled or died in five of the 15 U.S. states with confirmed cases.
What the USDA is doing
USDA said in a press release that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) released 239 genetic sequences found in the recent H5N1 and HPAI influenza viruses found in dairy cattle and poultry for interested researchers.
USDA, APHIS
“APHIS is urging dairy cattle producers and those who work in or with the industry to share epidemiological information from affected farms, even if they are not planning to move cattle interstate,” the release stated.
USDA emphasized the CDC’s assessment that humans are at low risk of contracting the disease. Thirteen people in Texas, Colorado, and Michigan have tested positive for contracting H5N1 as of September 9. Most recently, a patient in Missouri was reported to be sick with the bird flu despite no known contact with cattle or poultry.
On August 28, in a press conference at a farm show in Iowa, Vilsack announced that the USDA has approved field testing on an H5N1 vaccine for cattle.
AABP Decision to Refer to Disease in Cattle By a Different Name
In an open letter dated April 8, 2024, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) presented an argument that because the disease in cattle doesn’t cause high morbidity and mortality as it does in birds, it should not be referenced as “HPAI in cattle” or “bird flu in cattle.”
The group will instead call the disease Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV) in its messaging and applicable resources.
The AABP encourages other organizations, state animal health officials, diagnostic labs, and state and federal agencies to use the name to better distinguish between the diseases in cattle and in birds. Ultimately, the group believes that “it is important for the public to understand the difference to maintain confidence in the safety and accessibility of beef and dairy products for consumers.”
What the FDA is Doing
The FDA found particles of HPAI in samples of pasteurized milk, but in a release said that it has full confidence in the safety of milk sold in grocery stores.
“Based on available information, pasteurization is likely to inactivate the virus, however the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles,” the FDA said in a report published by Reuters.
California at Center of Outbreak
In the last two months, California has emerged as the state with the most cases of HPAI in cattle. Since the start of the outbreak in March 2024, APHIS has reported 233 confirmed cases of HPAI in dairy cattle in California. In the last 30 days alone, California has confirmed 233 livestock herds with positive tests for H5N1.
Human infections have been on the rise in the state as well, with 11 of the 41 total confirmed bird flu cases in humans this year coming from the Golden State.
California produces the most dairy products of any state in the U.S.
Outbreak Timeline
Successful Farming will continue publishing stories on the HPAI/dairy cow situation. Here is an updated list of our coverage from 2024:
November
October
September
August
July
June
- June 28: Two more Iowa dairy herds reported with avian flu
- June 25: USDA: Expect more cases of bird flu in dairy cattle
- June 25: Four states to begin voluntary testing for bird flu in dairy farm milk tanks
- June 25: What can farmers learn from the current bird flu outbreak in dairy cows?
- June 17: Bird flu found in two more Iowa dairy herds
- June 14: Two dozen companies working to find bird flu vaccine for cows, U.S. agriculture secretary says
- June 14: H5N1 virus was spread by cattle, people, and shared equipment
- June 11: Iowa asks USDA to compensate farmers for cows culled due to H5N1 virus
- June 10: Iowa identifies second dairy with bird flu, expands testing
- June 7: Block sales of raw milk that may contain H5N1 virus, FDA asks states
- June 6: Bird flu infects dairy herd in Iowa, 10th state to be hit
- June 6: Cows infected with bird flu have died in five U.S. states
- June 6: Bird flu outbreak reported in Minnesota dairy herd, the state’s first
- June 4: USDA aims to isolate, exhaust H5N1 virus in dairy herds
- June 4: Bird flu’s spread from poultry to cattle to humans provokes worry among feds, states
- June 3: Farmworkers face high-risk exposures to bird flu, but testing isn’t reaching them
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