Avian flu has infected Idaho’s dairy farms. Is the state ready to face an epidemic? – Eastern Idaho News

BOISE, Idaho Statesman – The avian flu virus has been a long-standing problem in Idaho, affecting Idaho’s poultry and waterfowl populations for years. But this year’s strain brings something new: its ability to infect cows.

Since cows at a Texas dairy farm in March marked the first U.S. case of a cow infected with H5N1, the latest strain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the virus has spread to 12 States, including Idaho. Dairy workers and public health officials are now grappling with how to protect an industry worth billions of dollars to the state, according to the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation.

Dairy cows in Cassia County were the first to become infected after being exposed to livestock imported from Texas in March, and the virus has now spread to at least 21 other Idaho dairy farms, many of them n have not been exposed to livestock from out of state. , according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

State officials and the Dairymen’s Association told the Idaho Statesman that dairy farms are doing their best to reduce the spread of H5N1.

“As best we can, we’re trying to help dairy farms protect their workers and make sure they have the information they need,” Idaho State Epidemiologist Christine Hahn told the statesman, “and can decide on the things that are really the most critical.” …(to) prevent infection from potentially spreading from one facility to another.

Dairies face losses from H5N1

Cows infected with H5N1 can have a significant impact on dairy farm revenues. The hardest-hit dairies could lose up to 20% of their milk production for a month, Rick Naerebout, executive director of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, told the Statesman. The American Association of Bovine Practitioners estimates that H5N1 virus infections can cause a financial loss of up to $200 per cow.

But Idaho dairy farmers have been reluctant to report H5N1 cases and give regulators free access to their operations. That access can include “invasive” requests from the USDA for nasal swabs and blood tests on workers as well as regular testing of cows, Naerebout said. He said Idaho dairy farmers would be willing to provide anonymous data and analytical testing, but would not want to be identified.

Farmers also haven’t yet seen the compensation they were promised by the USDA, Naerebout added, which is part of the reason they are hesitant to share more information. The USDA is required to compensate farmers for 90% of lost milk production due to H5N1, but Idaho dairy farms have yet to see open requests for reimbursement for milk loss, a declared Naerebout.

Marissa Perry, a USDA spokeswoman, told the Statesman by email that the agency is working to make funding available soon. Naerebout declined to specify how much compensation he expects dairy farms to need.

“There has been little benefit to dairy farmers who have come forward and invited agencies for their dairy products,” Naerebout told the Statesman. “Just because we are hesitant to invite federal agencies to intervene in our operations does not mean that dairy producers are not doing the right thing and not taking all the necessary precautions to try to prevent the spread to other countries. other dairies and their workers.”

Idaho responds to H5N1 cases

Hahn, the state epidemiologist, said the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is working with the Department of Agriculture and the Dairymen’s Association to provide personal protective equipment. The Dairy Farmers Association also helped provide protective equipment to its members through the National Stockpile, a national benchmark, Hahn said.

Idaho State Veterinarian Scott Leibsle noted that many dairy workers were wearing protective gear even before H5N1 cases were reported because cows often carry other viruses or bacteria.

Although there are no positive human cases yet in Idaho, all infected workers will be offered the antiviral Tamiflu free of charge, Hahn said, which was recommended by the CDC. If workers know they have been exposed or think they might be sick, they can contact their health district and provide a sample, Hahn told the Statesman. The sample is sent to a public health laboratory and results can be received within 24 hours.

But Idaho’s restrictions remain looser than those in some states. At the height of livestock show season, Minnesota, for example, restricts livestock shows and requires cows to have negative H5N1 test results and a certificate of veterinary inspection, according to the Department of Agriculture Minnesota.

Most of Idaho’s H5N1 safety protocols, such as personal protective equipment, are recommendations, not requirements.

“What farmworkers do is really their business,” Hahn said.

What we know about bird flu

One of the obstacles to stopping the spread of bird flu is the lack of information about how it is transmitted between cows. The virus is spread in birds through saliva, mucous membranes and droppings. According to the CDC, this is likely how the cows were initially infected in March, through contaminated water and food sources — but it’s unclear how exactly the virus has spread since then.

“Even though birds are still spreading the virus, we’re still trying to understand it,” Leibsle told the Statesman. “Is it due to livestock movements, viruses on your boots, tires or equipment?

Identifying contamination risks and strengthening personal protective equipment protocols will be important to containing the spread in Idaho, Leibsle said.

To better understand the spread of the virus, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare began looking for the H5N1 virus in wastewater samples, Hahn said, a testing technique that has gained popularity. popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. H5N1 has appeared “several times at one of Boise’s wastewater treatment plants,” Hahn said, although the agency has not identified the source of the particles.

Testing wastewater for H5N1 could one day provide valuable information about the presence and spread of the virus and inform authorities of a possible outbreak, Hahn told the Statesman.

If an outbreak were to occur, “we are much more confident than COVID-19 in our ability to respond quickly if we start seeing cases in humans,” Hahn said.