#18,446
While not as big of a leap as we saw last week, over the weekend California reported another 38 infected herds (as of Friday, Nov 22nd), bringing their total to 436 herds, nearly 40% of the state's 1,100 dairy herds.
What we don't know is what percentage of farms have actually been tested, or how many of those farms have tested negative.
While California remains the center of attention, testing of bulk mild and/or dairy cows remains sporadic, and largely voluntary, across much of the country.
A few states (Colorado, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and most recently Pennsylvania) have ordered mandatory testing, but for the most part `Don't test, don't tell' remains the order of the day.
Yesterday the USDA also updated their confirmed poultry outbreaks (as of Nov 22nd), adding 6 more outbreaks across 5 states.
Over the past 30 days the U.S. has reported more than 60 outbreaks in flocks (backyard & commercial), resulting in the loss of more than 10 million birds.
Over that same time period 261 herds of cattle have tested positive, although the number of affected cows is never disclosed.
Meanwhile, seemingly undeterred by our biosecurity measures, H5N1 marches on.
