The avian influenza virus was identified in 100 dairy herds in the past week and in two dozen domestic flocks with more than 3 million birds so far this month in California, the U.S. hot spot for the viral disease, said state and USDA data on Tuesday. The state accounts for two-thirds of the 650 infected dairy herds in the nation.
Some 436 California dairy herds have been infected by the H5N1 virus, said the California Department of Food and Agriculture on Tuesday, an increase of 100 herds since Nov. 19. A USDA database said 6 million birds in domestic flocks have died of bird flu to date in November; at least 3.1 million of them were in California.
“Although authorities have been urging dairy farms and workers to take precautions against spreading infection, there is little evidence their cautions are being heeded,” said the Los Angeles Times, based on visits to farms and interviews with farmers, dairy workers, and researchers. The newspaper described a dairy farm in the San Joaquin Valley with an infected herd where none of the farmworkers wore protective gear and vehicles entered and left the farm “with nary a hint of concern.”
The USDA has advised livestock farmers to strengthen their biosecurity practices to prevent spread of the disease with steps such as preventing contact with wild birds and restricting access to barns by visitors. The CDC recommends the use of protective gear, such as gloves,masks, goggles, and water-resistant coveralls, for people in contact with infected or potentially infected animals.
Public health officials in British Columbia, on Canada’s west coast, said they don’t know how a teenager contracted bird flu, but no additional cases have been found, said CBC News. The teenager was hospitalized earlier this month and remains in critical condition.
Some 55 people in America have been diagnosed with mild cases of bird flu. All but two were livestock workers with direct contact with infected cattle and poultry.