Unlucky Number 13

With California Ag Today, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.

Unlucky number thirteen, although none of the others have really been lucky either. Oklahoma is the 13th state to detect bird flu in dairy cattle. The USDA confirmed it even though the infection happened months ago. Reuters says the confirmation shows the outbreak was more widespread than authorities knew after the virus was first found in dairy cattle in late March.

Bird flu has been found in over 150 U.S. dairy herds. The cases are part of an outbreak of H5N1 that’s spread globally in wild birds, infecting domestic poultry and different species of mammals. Even though four dairy workers have tested positive, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk to the public remains low.

An Oklahoma dairy collected the first positive sample in April when it suspected its herd may have been infected. On its website, USDA reported two positive herds in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Ag Department says the positive sample is from one dairy that has two separate barns.

So thirteen states. Here are the other states that have felt the impact of a positive test. Those include Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Texas, Iowa, New Mexico, Minnesota, South Dakota, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wyoming.