It has been about three weeks since a mysterious illness in dairy cattle was confirmed to be High Path Avian Flu. The confirmation came after more than two years of the virus weighing on the poultry industry, causing the deaths of millions of birds since early 2022.
Eight states have now confirmed illnesses in their dairy herds. However, while the illness has largely been referred to as “High Path Avian Flu” since the outbreak began, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners is asking health officials to refer to it as something else. They are asking state and federal health officials to call it “Bovine Influenza A-Virus,” noting the virus affecting cattle does not cause high mortality like it does in birds.
The group wants the change in order to be consistent with messaging and to better distinguish the disease syndrome in cattle from the pathogenesis in birds.
