Now is not a time for paranoia but there is a case for extreme vigilance, says Anjana Ahuja for the Financial Times.
Cows graze in a field at a dairy farm on Apr 26, 2024 in Petaluma, California. The US is ordering dairy producers to test cows for infections from highly pathogenic avian influenza , following the discovery of the virus in samples of pasteurised milk. LONDON: In 2022, Bass Rock, a volcanic outcrop off the Scottish coast that houses the world’s largest colony of northern gannets, became a graveyard.
Exactly how bird flu made the leap into cattle is unclear. Birds shed the virus orally, nasally and through their urine and faeces; cows could have ingested contaminated feed or water. Scientists believe the virus then spread between cows through mechanical methods, such as shared milking machines, rather than through the air. According to the UK government, this strain is not circulating in Europe.
However, the presence of virus fragments in pasteurised milk points to the possibility of asymptomatic infected cows, meaning the virus could be spreading under the radar. The US Department of Agriculture, which has banned infected cattle from crossing state borders, has been urged to scale up testing.
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