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U.S. dairy must now direct sample of sore Milk River to the U.S. Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) so the bureau can test them for chick flu , per a new Union order .
The move , announced Friday ( Dec. 6 ) , builds upon existing efforts by the USDA and other authorities to track the spread head of bird flu in dairy herds around the country . As of Dec. 5 , H5N1 — a subtype of bird flu — has beendetected in 720 dairy herdsin the U.S. this year .
A federal order will require that dairy producers provide milk samples to authorities so they can test for bird flu.
At least 35 hoi polloi have contracted chick flu as a issue of work around infected cows . That ’s in addition to 21 people who became infected through vulnerability to sick birds , and an additional two cases whose contagion informant are unknown .
in the beginning in the irruption , the USDA mandated that any lactating cows being shipped across state linesfirst be tested for H5N1and that any positive run be report to the agency . It also launched a voluntaryDairy Herd Status Program , which dairy producers could join to supervise for infections via weekly bulk milk sampling . But as of December , only75 herds across 17 stateswere being track through the program .
Now , with the federal order , bulk milk examination will be mandated nationwide .
Related : Bird flu could become deadly if it mixes with seasonal flu virus , experts warn
" This fresh Milk River examination strategy will build up on those steps to date and will ply a roadmap for states to protect the wellness of their dairy farm herd , " Agriculture SecretaryTom Vilsacksaid in the USDA proclamation .
" Among many outcomes , this will give farmers and farmworkers skilful confidence in the safety of their animals and power to protect themselves , " he said , " and it will put us on a path to rapidly contain and stopping the virus ' spread across the country . "
Specifically , the ordering mandates that , upon request , any entity that sends or holds milk intended for pasteurisation submit sample distribution to the USDA . It also requires that ruck possessor with cattle that test positivist provide information to serve the USDA track the spread of disease among the cattle . Finally , it requires private testing ground and nation veterinarians to cover to the USDA any natural Milk River samples that test positive for bird flu .
The chief motivation behind the ordering is to serve self-confidence determine the scope of the irruption and track its gap . Where needed , " enhanced biosecurity mensuration " can then be follow through to help keep the spread to extra cows , the USDA note . The enhanced surveillance could also inform strategy to help guard farmworkers from the infection .
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— H5N1 bird flu is evolving to better taint mammals , CDC study suggests
— Teen sicken with Canada ’s first human case of bird flu is in vital condition — and the source remains a mystery
As of yet , there ’s no evidence that H5N1 is spread from somebody to someone ; so far , people have only caught the virus from animals . However , a subject area released Thursday ( Dec. 5)highlighted just how little the virus would have to evolveto start spreading between people .
A single mutation move one of the virus ’s key proteins could make it a " mate " for human cells , set up a key domino whose toppling could precede to apandemic .
" The more people that get taint , the more likeliness is that … that mutation will get choose for,“Ian Wilson , a morphological biologist at the Scripps Research Institute and one of the study ’s source , antecedently tell Live Science .
The new testing plan rollout will start Dec. 16 , initially in California , Colorado , Michigan , Mississippi , Pennsylvania and Oregon , according to Reuters .
Tracking snort flu will help oneself authorisation ensure that the commercial-grade milk supply remain safe , the USDA statement notes . significantly , though , the commercial-grade milk supply is already pasteurized — heat to down germs — so any H5N1 that might be in the Milk River is neutralized before it is sell . Several studies haveconfirmed that pasteurization inactivates the virus .
However , health authorities dowarn against consuming products made with unpasteurised , or " raw , " milk , which could posture a hazard of infection if they ’re contaminated with H5N1 . Recently , the California - base dairy farm company Raw Farmissued a recallafter its merchandise examine overconfident for the computer virus . Consuming raw milk also carries a risk of contractingother serious infections .
This clause is for informational purposes only and is not mean to extend medical advice .
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