Nebraska has its first case of HPAI in a dairy herd. The state’s leading veterinarian says that testing has confirmed the virus did not originate on that farm.
According to Dr. Roger Dudley, “We are able to tell that the strain did originate in California. I think that’s really important, and the other thing that I think is really important is that the milk from the affected cow, if they’re showing symptoms of the avian influenza, that those the milk from those cows don’t go into the bulk tank to be for human consumption.”
Dr. Dudley was quick to note that the milk supply does remain safe thanks to pasteurization. He reminds producers to keep biosecurity measures front and center.
“Biosecurity is important. Should be important every day to dairy producers and other livestock producers, but certainly during times like this, where we know there’s an additional threat monitoring the people on and off site. Making sure that you know where people have been before they come to your farm and where they’re going after your farm, isolating animals, new animal, new arrival animals to the farm are all important things.”
Dairy herds are not the only ones seeing cases pop up; commercial turkeys and backyard poultry outbreaks have been confirmed in the Dakotas and Montana.
