Six states have joined the nation’s milk testing program to track the spread of bird flu as another spillover of the virus was reported in dairy cows.
The addition of Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and West Virginia, brings the total number of states in the program to 36.
Notably, Texas and Mississippi — some of the nation’s largest poultry producers — remain absent. As do Wisconsin and Idaho: some of America’s top milk producers.
To date, more than 970 herds have been stricken with bird flu across 17 states, according to data from the Department of Agriculture.
The news comes after Arizona health officials announced on Friday that the state’s agriculture department had identified H5N1 bird flu in milk produced by a dairy herd in Maricopa County, although the cattle haven’t shown any symptoms. The virus is the D1.1 genotype: the same that had been confirmed in Nevada dairy cattle at the end of last month.
The genotype has also been implicated in human infections, including the death of a Louisiana resident over the age of 65. Shortly after, the state reported its first bird flu infection in a dairy worker exposed to sickened cows.
Wyoming also reported its first infection on Friday in an older woman in Platte County: the third confirmed hospitalization related to bird flu in the U.S. The woman is hospitalized in another state, has conditions that can make people more vulnerable to illness, and was likely exposed through direct contact with an infected flock at her home. While many of those infected experience mild symptoms, state health officials said her experience “has been much more serious.”
“While this is a significant development as bird flu activity is monitored in Wyoming and across the country, it is not something we believe requires a high level of concern among most Wyoming residents,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist with the Wyoming Department of Health.
Around the U.S., 68 cases have been confirmed in the West, South, and Great Lakes regions. The majority have been dairy and poultry workers experiencing mild symptoms. Officials maintain that the current risk to the public is low and there has been no known person-to-person transmission of the virus.
Still, the nation’s response is under major scrutiny, with scientists voicing concerns about possible pandemic tipping points.
While the Trump administration has addressed the resulting egg shortage, they had not specifically detailed a plan of action to respond to outbreaks tearing across the country. They’ve placed the blame on the previous administration.
“President Biden didn't really have a plan for avian flu,” White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett told CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday. “Well, Brooke Rollins and I have been working with all the best people in government, including academics around the country and around the world, to have a plan ready for the president next week on what we're going to do with avian flu,” said Hassett.
Concerning reports came over the weekend regarding layoffs at Department of Agriculture facilities responding to the outbreak.
“They’re the front line of surveillance for the entire outbreak,” Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, told Politico. “They’re already underwater and they are constantly short-staffed, so if you take all the probationary staff out, you’ll take out the capacity to do the work.”
However, the department told The Independent in an email on Tuesday that that it continues to prioritize the response to bird flu.
“Several job categories, including veterinarians, animal health technicians, and other emergency response personnel have been exempted from the recent personnel actions to continue to support the HPAI response and other animal health priorities,” it said. “Although several positions supporting HPAI were notified of their terminations over the weekend, and we are working to swiftly rectify the situation.”
