Avian flu is spreading again in Iowa and across the nation. This time, birds aren’t the only ones at risk. KCCI learned Wednesday that the disease was found in a herd of 4,500 dairy cows in O’Brien County. According to a press release, this is the first case of highly pathogenic avian flu reported on a dairy farm in the state. State officials said Friday that it was also confirmed in another herd of 250 dairy cows on a farm in Sioux County. Philip Jardon, a veterinarian at Iowa State University, said cows diagnosed with avian flu need to be isolated from the herd, but unlike infected poultry herds, cows do not need to be culled and can recover with supportive care. Avian flu spreads most commonly from bird to bird and to other animals, including dairy cows. The virus can also spread to humans, but the World Health Organization says the risk is low. Most people infected with avian flu experience symptoms such as conjunctivitis. Video: Avian flu found in another Iowa dairy herd “Earlier today, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig informed me of plans to test dairy cows in areas where highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in poultry herds,” Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said in a statement. “I appreciate his and USDA’s proactive response. Iowa farmers produce 10% of the nation’s food supply, so protecting the health of their livestock is one of our top priorities. Additionally, last week I sent a letter to Secretary Vilsack urging USDA to prioritize and expedite the approval process for animal vaccines designed to combat diseases that threaten agriculture. I will continue to promote these vaccines to prevent and control future disease outbreaks.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says humans can get the virus by consuming infected animal products, such as milk. But Jerdon says milk bought at the grocery store is safe to drink. “Pasteurization kills this virus, so milk is safe no matter where it is on the shelves of any grocery store,” Jerdon said. More than 2 million birds have been culled in two Iowa counties so far this year due to the virus. » Download the free KCCI app to stay up to date on the go: Apple | Google PlayGet the latest news from KCCI Mexican man dies from bird flu strain A 59-year-old Mexican man had been bedridden with chronic health issues when he developed fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea in April. He died a week later, according to the Associated Press, the World Health Organization reported this week. The WHO said this is the first time this type of bird flu (H5N2) has been confirmed in humans. Another type of bird flu (H5N1) has been infecting poultry flocks for the past few years, leading to the culling of millions of birds. It has also spread to all kinds of animals around the world. How dangerous is H5N2? For years, H5N2 has oscillated between a mild threat to birds and a serious threat, but was never considered a threat to humans at all. A decade ago, researchers used mice and ferrets to study a strain of the virus that was then afflicting U.S. poultry and concluded that it was less spreadable and less deadly than H5N1. Officials also said there was no evidence of spread among humans. Rare cases of animal infection are reported every year, so it’s not surprising that some people have been diagnosed with the H5N2 strain. “Anyone who is optimistic would say, ‘This is a system that is doing what it was meant to do, which is to detect and document these rare human infections that a few years ago were stumbling around in the dark,'” said Matthew Ferrari, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Pennsylvania State University. In fact, Mexico’s Secretary of Health Jorge Alcocer said the man’s death was caused by kidney and respiratory failure, not the virus. Some experts said it was noteworthy that it’s unclear how the man contracted the H5N2 strain. “The fact that he reported no contact (with infected birds) raises the possibility that he was infected by someone who visited him, but it’s too early to jump to such a conclusion,” said Richard Webby, an influenza researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Compared to other types of avian flu, H5N2 is still considered less of a threat. Most of the illnesses in humans have been attributed to H7N9, H5N6 and H5N1 avian flu viruses. Between early 2013 and October 2017, five outbreaks of H7N9 killed more than 600 people in China. And in 2021, there was an outbreak of H5N6 in China that has killed at least 18 people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. H5N1 was first identified in 1959, but didn’t really worry health officials until a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong caused serious human illness and death. H5N1 cases have continued since then, mostly from direct contact between humans and infected animals. According to WHO statistics, there have been more than 460 confirmed deaths worldwide since 2003, and it is suggested that nearly half of those reported to be infected may die. Like other viruses, H5N1 has evolved over time, spawning new versions. Over the past few years, the mainstream version of the virus has spread rapidly to a variety of animals, while human deaths have declined. This article used information from the Associated Press.
Avian flu is spreading again in Iowa and across the nation, and this time it’s not just birds that are at risk.
KCCI learned Wednesday that the disease was found in a herd of 4,500 dairy cows in O’Brien County, marking the first time highly pathogenic avian influenza has been reported on a dairy farm in the state. According to a news release:.
State officials announced Friday that another herd of 250 dairy cows on a Sioux County farm had also been infected.
Philip Jardon of the Iowa State University Department of Veterinary Medicine said cattle diagnosed with avian influenza must be isolated from the herd, but unlike infected poultry flocks, cattle do not need to be culled and can recover with supportive care.
Avian flu is most commonly transmitted from bird to bird and to other animals, including dairy cows. The virus can also infect humans, but the World Health Organization says the risk is low. Most people who get avian flu experience symptoms such as conjunctivitis.
Video: Avian flu found in another Iowa dairy herd
“Earlier today, I was informed by (Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig) of plans to test dairy cattle in areas where highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in poultry flocks,” Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said in a statement. “I appreciate Secretary Naig and the USDA’s proactive response. Iowa farmers produce 10 percent of the nation’s food supply, and protecting the health of their animals is one of our top priorities.”
“Additionally, last week I sent a letter to Secretary Vilsack urging USDA to prioritize and expedite the approval process for animal vaccines designed to combat diseases that threaten our agriculture industry. I will continue to advocate for these vaccines to prevent and control future disease outbreaks.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says humans can get the virus by consuming infected animal products, such as milk, but Jardon said milk bought at the grocery store is safe to drink.
“The pasteurization process kills the virus, so the milk is safe to sell on any grocery store shelf,” Jardon said.
So far this year, more than 2 million birds have been culled in two Iowa counties due to the virus.
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Mexican man dies from bird flu
A 59-year-old Mexican man who was bedridden due to chronic health problems developed fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea in April. He died a week later, according to the Associated Press, and the World Health Organization reported this week.
The WHO said this was the first time that this strain of bird flu (H5N2) had been identified in humans.
Another strain of bird flu, H5N1, has infected poultry flocks over the past few years, leading to the culling of millions of birds, and is spreading to all kinds of animals around the world.
How dangerous is H5N2?
For many years, H5N2 has oscillated between a mild and severe threat to birds, but was never considered a threat to humans.
A decade ago, researchers used mice and ferrets to study a strain of the virus then affecting U.S. poultry and concluded it was less contagious and less deadly than H5N1, and officials said there was no evidence it was spreading among humans.
Rare cases of infection in animals are reported each year, so it is not surprising that humans have been diagnosed with H5N2 virus infection.
“An optimistic person would say, ‘This system is doing exactly what it was designed to do, which is to detect and document rare human infections that we were groping around in the dark about a few years ago,'” said Matthew Ferrari, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Pennsylvania State University.
In fact, Mexico’s Health Minister Jorge Alcocer said the man died of kidney and respiratory failure, not the virus.
Some experts said it was noteworthy that it was unclear how the man contracted H5N2.
“The fact that he had no reported contact (with infected birds) raises the possibility that he was infected by someone visiting him, but it’s too early to jump to such a conclusion,” said Richard Webby, an influenza researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
What about other types of bird flu?
At present, H5N2 is still considered to be a lesser threat than other types of avian influenza. Most human illness is attributed to the H7N9, H5N6 and H5N1 avian influenza viruses.
Five outbreaks of H7N9 are believed to have killed more than 600 people in China between early 2013 and October 2017. And at least 18 people have died in China in 2021 from an H5N6 outbreak, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The H5N1 virus was first identified in 1959 but did not cause much concern to health authorities until an outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997, causing severe illness and death.
Cases of the H5N1 virus continue to occur, mostly through direct contact between humans and infected animals. According to WHO statistics, there have been more than 460 confirmed deaths worldwide since 2003, and nearly half of reported cases are likely to be fatal.
Like other viruses, H5N1 has evolved over time, spawning new versions. Over the past few years, the predominant version of the virus has spread rapidly among a variety of animals, but has caused fewer human deaths.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
