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By Rachel Dobkin
Weekend Reporter
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday ordered testing of the nation's milk supply for bird flu to help monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows.
The USDA said that raw or unpasteurized milk from dairy farms and processors across the country must be tested on request starting on December 16.
Testing will begin in six states: California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
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The testing is aimed at "containing and ultimately eliminating the virus," known as Type A H5N1, officials said.
"This will give farms and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus' spread nationwide," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.
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What Does the USDA's Order Say?
Dairy farmers and those who handle raw milk intended for pasteurization are required to provide samples of the milk on request for bird flu testing, according to the USDA's order.
Positive tests must be reported to the USDA and herd owners must provide basic information to allow tracing of the disease in cattle, the order says.
The order follows another USDA order from April that required testing of certain dairy cattle before they could be transferred between states and required reporting of any positive tests.
The Spread of Bird Flu
Bird flu was detected in U.S. dairy cows in March. Fifteen states have seen outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows and as of Friday, over 720 dairy herds have been affected by the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The virus has even spread to humans with a total of 58 confirmed cases across seven states. In most of the cases, the patient was exposed to infected cattle. Meanwhile, 21 infected people were exposed to poultry and in two cases, the source of the infection was unknown.
However, health officials say the risk to people from bird flu remains low, and pasteurization kills the virus in milk, making it safe to drink. Federal officials continue to warn against drinking raw milk.
Bird flu is mostly found in poultry and wild birds with 114.4 million poultry affected as of Friday and 10,672 wild birds affected as of Tuesday. Meanwhile, the first case of bird flu in a pig was detected in late October in Oregon, according to the USDA.
Reactions to the Milk Testing
For months, veterinarians, farmers, scientists and academics have been calling for nationwide milk testing, according to Director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Keith Poulsen, who led the efforts.
"It's another step in the right direction," Poulsen said. "They're coming around that we need a better handle on it."
Meanwhile, dairy farmers and processors nationwide have been reluctant to test animals or milk for the virus as they fear economic or other repercussions.
Jamie Jonker, chief science officer of the National Milk Producers Federation, meanwhile, said the industry supports USDA efforts to eliminate bird flu.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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