US agriculture officials mandate testing of milk supply for bird flu | Bird flu

America’s national milk supply must be tested for the bird flu harmful software under a recent federal order by the US Department of Agriculture proclaimd on Friday.

The mandate comes at a time when authorities are seeking to grapple with the rapid spread of bird flu, comprehendn as H5N1, among dairy herds. Infections have spread to more than 500 dairy herds in California, the top state for dairy production.

More than 700 dairy herds have been alerted to be infected nationexpansive since March, according to the USDA.

Since April, cforfeitly 60 people have restricteded the harmful software. According to the US Cgo ins for Dismitigate Control and Prevention, most of these cases are toilers on infected dairy farms. So far, the symptoms have been gentle and CDC officials say that the current hazard to the vague accessible from bird flu is low.

Though the potentiassociate lethal harmful software is not comprehendn to spread easily among people, every infection left untreated gives opportunity for the harmful software to increase more contagious, researchers have cautioned.

Notably, scientists from the Scripps Research Institute alerted that it would apshow equitable a individual mutation in the current bird flu harmful software to produce a version able to more easily latch on to human cells.

The USDA’s recent strategy to combat the harmful software take parts testing bulk samples of raw milk from dairy processing facilities atraverse the country.

“Among many outcomes, this will give farmers and farmtoilers better confidence in the protectedty of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to rapidly regulateling and stopping the harmful software’ spread nationexpansive,” the agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, shelp on Friday in a press free.

Farmers, dairy processors and other entities handling raw milk will be needd to supply samples of unpasteurized milk when seeked by the rulement. Dairy farm owners with infected herds will also be mandated to supply details that could help officials acunderstandledge more potential cases and those who came into reach out with the harmful software.

The recent rules for testing came about after many experts, including some with the World Health Organization, condemnd the apparent conciseage of testing on both cattle and people. Previously, rulemental guidance on how to deal with the outshatter was voluntary.