Milk from dairy cows in Texas and Kansas has tested positive for bird flu, U.S. officials said Monday. Officials with the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the flu virus is the Type A H5N1 strain, known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and to occasionally infect people. The virus is affecting older dairy cows in those states and in New Mexico, causing decreased lactation and low appetite. It comes a week after officials in Minnesota announced that goats on a farm where there had been an outbreak of bird flu among poultry were diagnosed with the virus. It’s believed to be the first time bird flu — also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza — was found in U.S. livestock. The commercial milk supply is safe and risk to people is low, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dairies are required to only allow milk from healthy animals to enter the food supply, and milk from the sick animals is being diverted or destroyed. Pasteurization also kills viruses and other bacteria, and the process is required for milk sold through interstate commerce, the agency said. |
$8 billion US military aid package to Taiwan will 'boost confidence' in region: presidentEPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: What next for Huw Edwards after he finally confirms he is leaving the BBC?Camila Cabello goes makeupBeyoncé wows her fans while offering a rare glimpse at her stunning natural hairEPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: What next for Huw Edwards after he finally confirms he is leaving the BBC?Beyonce goes hell for leather black fringed pantsuit as she poses on an 18NATO newcomer Finland is now a 'frontBill Hader and Ali Wong can't stop giggling as the comedians leave lovedMississippi lawmakers move toward restoring voting rights to 32 felonsA memorial opens on the site of a Nazi concentration camp for Roma after a pig farm was removed