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Bird flu has affected and killed dairy cows in five U.S. states, leading to their slaughter as they failed to recover from the disease. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reassured that most cows recover well from the condition. Bird flu can cause loss of milk production, digestive problems, fever, loss of appetite, and potentially deadly secondary infections in cows.
Despite these cases, the USDA has confirmed that no bird flu virus particles were detected in ground beef samples collected from retail stores, nor in cooked beef injected with a virus surrogate in experiments.
These animal deaths could contribute to higher-than-anticipated economic impact in the farm belt. While poultry infected by the virus are usually culled, cows are more expensive to raise, making the financial implications more significant. States where cows have been affected by bird flu include South Dakota, Michigan, Texas, Ohio, and Colorado.
Additionally, the World Health Organisation has confirmed the first human death from A(H5N2) bird flu. The USDA reports that avian flu has infected over 80 herds across 10 states since late March.
In several states, some cows were slaughtered due to secondary infections contracted after the bird flu debilitated their immune systems, or because they failed to recover from the virus. Other cases include a farm in South Dakota sending a dozen cows for slaughter after not recovering from the virus and subsequently killing another dozen that developed secondary infections.
In Michigan, roughly 10% of 200 infected cows were killed due to a lack of recovery from the virus. Reports from Ohio and Texas also indicate cow deaths from secondary infections due to bird flu. Meanwhile, farmers in New Mexico began culling cows due to decreased milk production before confirming the bird flu transmission to cattle.
In stark contrast, officials in North Carolina and Kansas reported few to no cow deaths linked to the bird flu. Bird flu virus particles were discovered in beef tissue from one cow sent for slaughter, but the meat was prevented from entering the food supply.
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