Under the Microscope - The H5N1 Outbreak's Unsettling Spread from Birds to Dairy Cattle

As I wrote in my piece Bird Flu Outbreaks and Factory Farms, a serious crisis is looming on our doorstep. Due to the terrible practices United States farms have around animal welfare, the H5N1 bird flu has started to spread across the country... but now it's spreading beyond birds.

In April, Helen Branswell at statnews.com conducted an in-depth interview with Vivian Dugan, the director of the CDC's influenza division. They talked about the nature and spread of this virus, and their conversation highlighted some of the difficulties faced by government agencies trying to combat a problem evolving with this much speed.

The short of the long? Dugan and her team are staring down the barrel of a gun as the H5N1 bird flu spreads into the dairy cattle population in the United States. An outbreak like this normally isn't much of a problem for most people... right up until the point where it's very suddenly everyone's problem.

As the virus evolved its behavior, Dugan and her team moved into uncharted territory, working to manage the outbreak. With the March 25 announcement from the USDA that linked early year milk production declines in several herds to H5N1, it became clear that the problem had spread quickly beyond the confines of the chicken farms where the virus had taken roost.

As of the interview with Dugan, 36 herds across nine states had confirmed cases, raising significant concerns, especially as the virus was soon detected in milk samples in grocery stores across the country. Granted, the process of sterilization that most milk goes through (called pasteurization) deactivates the virus. However, its presence alone is the sign of a significant problem.

Although the immediate threat to the general U.S. population remains low, the scenario on affected dairy farms is starkly different because farmworkers are in direct contact with the virus. Extensive testing and monitoring efforts were underway as of late April, with 25 individuals tested and over 100 monitored for symptoms.

This bird flu variant is familiar to poultry farmers who have battled it for years, but its emergence in cattle is a novel and complex challenge. The dairy sector lacks experience with this pathogen, and many on the front lines are hesitant to engage with health authorities.

The CDC has struggled with numerous challenges as they try to respond. States are spearheading the response, gathering data and monitoring potential cases. But this approach has left many worried about the transparency of the data being collected, and about the ability of local governments and the CDC to get ahead of this outbreak before it metastasizes.

The virus's adaptation to cattle could have unpredictable consequences. Influenza viruses are known for their ability to mutate, and if H5N1 circulates among cattle widely enough, further mutations could lead to increased infection rates in humans.

The COVID-19 pandemic still looms large, with cases continuing to spread and mutations continuing to leap into gaps in non-immunized populations. The thought of yet another pandemic is chilling, and even more frustrating if it takes place because the right controls could be enacted at the right time.

But any response to this outbreak has to go farther than damage-control. We need to reassess the way we farm, the way we treat our livestock, and the way we engage with our local communities during times of crises. Stricter controls at the Federal level are needed to stop the use of "poultry litter" as a food additive, and large farms of all kinds must face more stringent health and safety inspections.

Meanwhile, incentives for smaller farms to sell their produce locally must be provided, rebuilding the family-farming experience of rural America. Small farms, where the livestock are treated well and monitored carefully, will always provide a better outcome than mass farming operations that prioritize cost controls over the wellbeing of the animals (and the human customers down the line).