By: Capacia, Malchiah Reizelle Anne
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a recent outbreak of bird flu, also known as avian influenza, on April 26, in nine states.
Nine states, including Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, South Dakota, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, and Colorado, have detected the bird flu virus A(H5N1) in 34 herds of cows.
A report published in the online journal Nature concluded that a new strain of bird flu might have spread among American cows from January to November 2023.
Veterinary Surgeon Dr. Daisy May assured the public that while concern about bird flu crossing over to humans is valid, it primarily spreads rapidly among birds rather than between populations.
“The likelihood of sustained human-to-human transmission remains extremely low with proper precautions,” she added.
Dr. May also emphasized that consuming well-cooked eggs is still safe, emphasizing the importance of avoiding raw consumption as heat effectively get rid of the virus.
Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that they will collect groun beef samples from grocery stores in states with bird flu outbreaks in dairy cows for further analysis and monitoring.
