A little over 3 weeks ago California reported their first detection of HPAI in dairy cattle (see California: CDFA Confirms HPAI H5 In 3 Dairy Herds). Since then, we've seen a slow, but steady rise in infected farms, which as of late last week sat at 17.
September 19, 2024: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Confirmed in Seven Additional Dairies in California
SACRAMENTO, CA – Following an investigation by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and rapid disease detection by California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) has confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in seven (7) new dairies, for a total of seventeen (17) affected dairies in Central California.
The seven new HPAI-confirmed dairies were in a group targeted for testing due to elevated risks from their recent connections with the initial affected premises. These recent findings are not unexpected and support CDFA's implementation of current surveillance strategies with the goal of finding affected farms as early as possible. Early detection provides the opportunity to work with farms to quickly implement enhanced biosecurity, cow care, and employee protection.
Testing of dairy cattle for HPAI H5 remains limited in California, which boasts the most dairies in the nation. While the California CDFA's website does not yet reflect the latest numbers posted by the USDA, the number of known infected dairies appears to have doubled over the weekend to 34.
I say `appears' because the listing (see below) only lists 31 dairies affected, but some numbers have been skipped. But, if we've learned anything from this slow-rolling fiasco, it is to take these numbers with a very large grain of salt.
Although the dairy industry may not like what might be revealed, it is imperative that we start proactively testing for this virus on a weekly basis in all dairy farms across the nation.
Otherwise, we're simply wearing blinders, and waiting for the next hoof to drop.
