California authorities have identified three new outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu in Central Valley dairy herds, bringing the total number of infected farms to six.
Wednesday’s announcement comes as Missouri health officials try to determine how a human who had no connection to dairy or poultry farming became infected. It is the 14th human case reported this year.
According to a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “although additional cases of influenza have been detected through the nation’s national influenza surveillance system, this is the first time that the system has detected a case of H5.”
The California Department of Food and Agriculture said the newly reported herds were part of a “group targeted for testing due to the elevated risks associated with their recent association with the initially affected premises.”
Nationally, 201 herds have been affected in 14 states. Another infected herd was identified in Michigan earlier this week.
A statement from the state agriculture agency said the discovery of three additional herds was not unexpected and was a testament to the agency’s surveillance methods, which are designed to find “affected farms as early as possible.”
Affected dairies have been quarantined and “enhanced biosecurity measures are in place to prevent the spread of the virus,” the agency said.
The risk of H5N1 infection remains low for the general population, and the state’s milk and dairy supply is safe and “not affected by these events,” the statement said. Health officials say pasteurization inactivates the virus, so there is no reason for concern for consumers of pasteurized milk or dairy products.
Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture, said none of the affected farms were raw milk farms.
There are at least four raw milk dairies in California. Three are located in the Central Valley, the fourth in Granada, north of Mount Shasta.
Mark McAfee, owner of Raw Milk Farms, which operates farms in Fresno and Hanford, said he regularly tests his milk and so far his herds have tested negative for the virus.
