The Agriculture Department is set to launch a significant testing program next week. This program aims to detect the bird flu virus in fresh milk from farms, providing a clearer understanding of the prevalence of the H5N1 virus among U.S. dairy herds. The efforts are part of an ongoing battle to identify infected herds and halt the spread of the virus.

Enhancing Safety and Confidence

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack emphasized that this testing will give farmers and farmworkers greater confidence in the safety of their animals and their ability to protect themselves. It puts the nation on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus's spread nationwide. As of now, around 58 people have contracted bird flu this year, with nearly all cases among dairy and poultry workers on infected farms. Public health officials have stated that there have been no cases of person-to-person spread, and the virus has not evolved to become more communicable.

State-by-State Impact

Since late March, bird flu has been confirmed in 720 dairy herds across 15 states. California, the leading dairy state, has 502 infected herds. On Friday, state agriculture officials reported that 20 farms have fully recovered and been released from quarantine. These farms will be placed on a surveillance list and undergo weekly testing through creameries to maintain continuous monitoring of the virus in California. Additionally, tests will begin in the week of Dec. 16, with California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and Pennsylvania as the initial participants. Samples will be taken from farms or businesses transporting milk for pasteurization. Results will be reported each Friday. In addition to California, bird flu has been confirmed in 64 herds in Colorado and 29 herds in Michigan. The other three states have remained free of the virus.

Contact Tracing and Surveillance

Dairy farmers with infected herds are required to provide epidemiological information to assist in contact tracing and disease surveillance. Private laboratories and state veterinarians are also obligated to report when the H5N1 virus is found in milk samples as part of the new National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS). The first step in the NMTS is testing milk at processing plants, followed by testing from bulk storage tanks. Then, individual infected herds are identified for response measures such as enhanced biosecurity, contact tracing, and controls on cattle movement. Once all dairy herds in a state are considered unaffected, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will continue regular sampling of farms' bulk tanks to ensure the disease does not re-emerge. When all states are free of bird flu in dairy cattle, APHIS will work with states to start periodic testing to demonstrate the long-term absence from the national herd.

Raw Milk and Public Health

In late November, bird flu virus was found in whole raw milk for sale in Santa Clara County in California's Silicon Valley. While most milk is pasteurized, which kills the virus, more than 30 states allow the sale of raw milk. About 1% of U.S. adults consume raw milk weekly. President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr., has expressed a desire to end the FDA's "aggressive suppression" of raw milk. Since 1987, the FDA has prohibited the distribution of unpasteurized milk across state lines due to concerns about bacteria that can cause illness.