A line of Holstein dairy cows feed through a fence at a dairy farm in Idaho on March 11, 2009. As of April 11, 2024, a strain of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, that has killed millions of wild birds in recent years has been found in at least 24 dairy cow herds in eight U.S. states: Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Idaho, Michigan and North Carolina and South Dakota.
April 24, 2024
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Bird flu is spreading to more farm animals
A bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows has spread to more than two dozen herds in eight states, including Idaho. That comes weeks after the nation's largest egg producer found the virus in its chickens. Health officials continue to stress that the risk to the public is low and that the U.S. food supply remains safe and stable. Commercial milk remains safe and available because pasteurization, a high-heat treatment, kills bacteria and viruses. But there's limited information about possible transmission of the virus in unpasteurized milk or cheese products. That is prompting officials to warn consumers about the known risks of consuming raw milk.