Bird flu is continuing to impact U.S. consumers. But, these states aren’t testing livestock for the virus

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health

Get our free Health Check email

Get our free Health Check email

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

As bird flu continues to rapidly proliferate around the U.S., raising egg prices to record levels and closing poultry markets, states are working to track and test for the virus.

In December, the Department of Agriculture announced that it would increase its testing, requiring raw unpasteurized milk samples to be collected. At the end of the month, the Food and Drug Administration began to collect samples of raw cow’s milk cheese. The government also collects and tests large numbers of samples from wild birds in the North American flyways and tests livestock prior to interstate movements to fairs, exhibitions, or sales.

Last month, the Department of Agriculture said that more states had enrolled in the government’s National Milk Testing Strategy, under which health officials hope to best understand the presence of H5N1 among the country’s dairy herds. Since the start of the outbreak in 2022, 968 herds have been affected across 16 states, and more than 157 million poultry have been affected and culled.

California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and Washington had enrolled in the strategy. Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia joined in January.

The 28 states represent nearly 65 percent of the nation’s milk production.

But, not all states have joined in the effort. Some notable states aren’t testing for the virus in their livestock even as the virus spreads and impacts the health of animals and humans - and continues to cause price spikes at the grocery store.

open image in gallery

Texas, which has 12.2 million head of cattle, is absent, as are Arkansas, Mississippi, and North Carolina: some of the nation’s largest poultry producers.

Wisconsin and Idaho, some of America’s top milk producers, are also off the list.

While the Lone Star State had the first known case of bird flu in cattle and the first person to be infected by a mammal, the state’s agriculture commissioner told NBC News on Tuesday that surveillance milk testing was unnecessary because there are currently no active cases in the state’s commercial cattle or poultry.

“It’s not a big deal, if you measure by how many herds are affected,” Sid Miller said. He dismissed testing as “just more regulation, more cost, more oversight. It’s not necessary,” stressing that vaccine development should be a focus.

Deploying a vaccine for dairy cattle that is matched to the current strain is believed to be more feasible and likely to be successful in stopping infections. Current bird flu vaccines do not meet the criteria for an ideal vaccine candidate for poultry, but agriculture officials said last year that it is “prudent to again pursue a stockpile that matches current outbreak strains.”

open image in gallery

Still, the milk-testing program has seen results. It was only last week that the Department of Agriculture said it had discovered a new strain of the virus in Nevada cows. Later, a Nevada dairy worker was also reported to be infected with that strain.

Although, bird flu has been found in raw products and certain pet foods, pasteurized milk and the nation’s food supply are believed to be safe — even if the average cost of large grade A eggs is the highest in 45 years.

Rising egg prices are tied to bird flu because so many egg-producing birds exposed to H5N1 have had to be slaughtered. When the virus is found on a farm, the entire flock is killed to limit the spread of the disease. The shortage has forced stores to limit purchases from New York City to Washington state.

As of right now, infections show no signs of slowing, and even thieves have started to target organic eggs.

Many concerns, however, lie in bird flu’s spread between humans. That has yet to occur. There have been 68 cases reported in the U.S., including one death.

But, the risk of infection for humans remains low, health officials have continuously asserted.

“Currently, the risk to the public is low. However, it is important to take precautions to protect yourselves, your family and your animals," New York's Oneida County Health Department said Wednesday.