Several U.S. states have restricted cattle imports from states that have seen infections of avian influenza Type A H5N1 in dairy herds.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the 17 states restricting imports include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus has been found in dairy herds in six states to date: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas.
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There are no federal plans to issue quarantine orders at this time. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said April 2 it is not recommending state quarantines or official hold orders on cattle.
“However, we strongly recommend minimizing movement of cattle as much as possible, with special attention to evaluating risk and factoring that risk into movement decisions. Do not move sick or exposed animals,” the department said in a statement.
The constantly-evolving nature of the virus is driving the World Health Organization and other animal health organizations to stress the importance of surveillance to detect and monitor virological, epidemiological and clinical changes associated with emerging or circulating influenza viruses that may affect human or animal health.
If cattle must be moved, APHIS strongly encourages “extreme diligence” by producers, veterinarians and animal health officials to ensure only healthy cattle are moving and to ensure the validity of interstate health certificates.
