A cow grazes in a field at a dairy farm in Petaluma, California, on April 26, 2024. Bird flu found in milk samples prompts the US to order dairy cow testing before interstate transport, ensuring safety after the highly contagious virus was discovered. Picture: Justin Sullivan Getty Images via AFP
There was a risk of H5N1 bird flu virus spreading to cows in other countries beyond the US through migratory birds, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday.
US officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in 34 dairy cattle herds in nine states since late March, and in one person in Texas.
“With the virus carried around the world by migratory birds, certainly there is a risk for cows in other countries to be getting infected,” said Wenqing Zhang, the head of WHO’s Global Influenza Programme, at a news briefing in Geneva.
She reiterated that the UN agency deemed the overall public health risk posed by the virus to be low but urged vigilance.
Asked to evaluate US transparency on the outbreak, Zhang said the global body had received regular updates and praised a decision to share the virus genetic sequence early.
“I do think the collaboration with US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the information we’ve received so far enables us to monitor the situation and to update the preparedness measures,” she said.
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