USDA says it will start testing milk for H5N1 bird flu virus nationwide

Nearly a twelvemonth aft a chaotic vertebrate infected with H5N1 avian flu presumably passed its viral baggage to a dairy cattle successful the Texas panhandle — which has subsequently led to the corruption of much than 700 herds nationwide and sickened astatine slightest 35 dairy workers — the nation’s agriculture section announced Friday that it volition illustration the nation’s beverage proviso to trial for the virus.

The national order requires dairy farmers to cod and stock earthy beverage samples for investigating — if requested — by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It besides lays retired a staged investigating strategy that volition let the national bureau to way and show the disease.

The National Milk Testing Strategy, which the caller beverage investigating regimen is called, “is a captious portion of our ongoing efforts to support the wellness and information of individuals and communities nationwide,” according to a connection from Xavier Becerra, the U.S. caput of Human and Health Services.

The caller bid volition initially use to six states: California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

The goal, according to the statement, is to escaped the nation’s dairy herds of the illness — an accomplishment fewer infectious-disease researchers oregon virologists deliberation is possible, astatine slightest immoderate clip soon.

“I precise overmuch enactment efforts to grow bulk beverage testing, arsenic it is presently the superior mode we are uncovering outbreaks connected farms,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a prof of epidemiology and manager of the Pandemic Center astatine Brown University School of Public Health. “This is helpful, but not afloat capable to support farmworkers who are being exposed to the virus. If we were superior astir protecting farmworkers, this would beryllium implemented instantly and expanded to see each states.”

Government wellness officers importune that the microorganism poses a debased hazard to the public. However, some experts warn that astir each the conditions needed for the microorganism to develop a threatening mutation are present contiguous successful galore dairy farms: lax investigating protocols; close, unprotected interaction betwixt humans and animals; a wide nonaccomplishment to instrumentality the menace earnestly enough; and the attack of quality flu season.

While California, Colorado and Michigan person each reported affirmative herds, the 3 others named successful the bid person not. Testing regimens and investigations person already been underway successful the infected states — arsenic good arsenic successful Pennsylvania, which successful precocious November, began its ain “Precautionary Bulk Milk Testing astatine Processing Plants” program.

In California, the largest dairy-producing authorities successful the nation, the bid volition person small impact, officials say. “We are already doing this,” said Steve Lyle, a spokesperson for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The microorganism has burned done much than fractional of California’s 900 dairy herds and infected 31 dairy workers successful the state.

Michael Payne, a researcher and outreach coordinator astatine the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security astatine UC Davis, said helium suspects the bid “might supply immoderate utile epidemiological information successful different states” but California’s investigating is already “so robust and aggressive.” He doesn’t expect that it volition substantially alteration “our knowing of the illness dispersed successful the authorities oregon however to negociate it.”

The program was archetypal announced successful October, and was to person been implemented successful November; investigating volition statesman the week of Dec. 16, according to the statement.

While Oregon has not had a H5N1 outbreak successful dairy cows, it has reported the illness successful commercialized poultry, chaotic birds and, past month, 2 pigs. There are astir 220 dairy herds successful the state.

Mississippi has astir 50 herds, with each workplace averaging 149 cows.

In the plan’s archetypal stage, investigating volition hap astatine each dairy processing facilities wrong a fixed state, allowing the national bureau to find if and wherever the microorganism is residing. The adjacent signifier volition let the national bureau to drill deeper by moving the investigating to bulk tanks.

If the microorganism is found, the 3rd signifier goes into action, triggering an adjacent much granular probe by identifying farms and herds that are affirmative — allowing for “rapid effect measures,” including biosecurity programs specified arsenic question controls and interaction tracing.

If, however, nary microorganism is recovered successful a state, bulk vessel investigating frequence volition progressively alteration — going from play to monthly to quarterly, assuming the state’s tests stay negative.

Finally, determination is the 5th stage, known arsenic “Demonstrating Freedom from H5 successful U.S. Dairy Cattle.”

That’s when, according to the statement, states tin statesman much periodic sampling and investigating “to exemplify semipermanent lack from the nationalist herd.”

As the microorganism has continued to dispersed among the nation’s dairy herds, a fig of experts person urged much robust testing, tracking and familial sequencing of the pathogen.

“Eradication of H5N1 is apt intolerable successful the abbreviated term,” John Korslund, a retired U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian epidemiologist, wrote successful a blog station astir the agriculture agency’s plans to statesman bulk testing. “The shorter-term goals should beryllium to minimize replication done question biosecurity and (hopefully) vaccination and past maximize transparency” by sampling and publishing familial sequencing of infected animals.

He said portion the microorganism whitethorn not economically devastate U.S. dairy production, if near “unmonitored and uncontrolled” it could endanger the nation’s beef, poultry and swine industries.