A form of bird flu has been detected in dairy cows in the US for the first time. The disease occurred primarily in older cows in the states of Texas, Kansas and New Mexico, and caused them to lose appetite and produce less milk, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington. Cows may be infected by wild birds. Dead wild birds were found in some affected farms.
The pathogen was also detected in some unpasteurized milk samples, it said. However, the safety and availability of milk in the United States is not at risk. The Ministry of Agriculture said that the situation is currently being investigated in detail.
Initially, there was no information on whether the cows were infected only by wild birds or whether they transmitted the pathogen to each other. According to preliminary tests, there are no changes in the H5N1 virus that make them easily transmissible to humans, it said. This risk is low.
The largest wave of bird flu ever documented is currently sweeping across several continents. The pathogen primarily affects birds, but has also been found in many mammals.
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