Bird flu is back and stronger than ever, and Nevada isn’t immune to the surge. A pair of emergent new strains have infiltrated the Silver State in recent months.
In December, a Nye County dairy cow became Nevada’s first positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in cattle. And on February 10, the Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) confirmed the state’s “first and only” case of the virus in a human after a Churchill County dairy worker tested positive.
With President Trump and his administration implementing cuts to agencies that monitor such outbreaks, will our state be properly equipped to curb the spread? The administration has already laid off at least 1,300 probationary employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—roughly a tenth of its workforce.
To get a handle on the situation, the Weekly spoke with Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) director J.J. Goicoechea and UNLV professor and epidemiologist Brian Labus.
What’s the latest on the existing bird flu outbreak?
The Nye County herd is tied to one strain called B3.13, which began circulating nationwide roughly a year ago. Now, Goicoechea says nine northern Nevada herds are also under quarantine with a slightly newer variation known as D1.1.
To date, nearly 1,000 herds across 17 states have contracted some form of bird flu, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Nearly three quarters of them are in California, which poses additional challenges for Nevada’s primarily beef and dairy-driven agricultural sector.
The wave has so far been linked to 70 human cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In January, the Louisiana Department of Health announced the first and only human fatality in a patient “over the age of 65 and reported to have underlying medical conditions.”
As of March 10, the CDC cited more than 166 million birds impacted thus far. In Nevada, just one small Churchill County flock of 20 birds has been confirmed to have been exposed.
What risks do these new strains pose to humans?
While humans can contract bird flu, Labus says the latest strains are “not a general risk to the public.”
“When humans have been infected, it has tended to be very, very mild,” Labus says. “It’s an occupational hazard for poultry and dairy cattle workers, but not something we’re worried about spreading from person to person at this point.”
According to the CNHD, the infected Churchill County employee had “conjunctivitis and no other symptoms and is recovering.”
The CDC also maintains that “the current public health risk is low.”
How dangerous is it for animals? Should I be worried about my pets?
Bird flu’s successful jump over to cattle is notable in a scientific sense, but Labus and Goicoechea both say that the new variants are unlikely to kill very many of them.
“For birds, this is a devastating infection that can wipe out an entire flock in a couple of days. For dairy cattle, it’s a minor annoyance. They might get a little sick or may not have any symptoms at all, but almost all of them recover eventually,” Labus says.
Dogs seem to be in a similar boat, but Labus warns that the virus can be “a very serious problem for cats, causing severe respiratory and neurologic illnesses and often resulting in death.”
The majority of infected cats live or roam near dairy farms, but Labus says some have also contracted it from contaminated pet foods.
What is Nevada doing to mitigate the impact?
Goicoechea works closely with other state agencies to monitor potential outbreaks and quarantine any afflicted herds or flocks.
“When this virus is literally falling out of the sky, our message to producers is to increase their biosecurity and stay vigilant. If you see an increase in nuisance birds that are affecting your cows’ intake or contaminating your feed, let us know, and we will take appropriate action,” Goicoechea said.
When a farm is hit, NDA works with local agencies to coordinate a quarantine, during which “mandatory testing will occur onsite at regular intervals until the herds are confirmed to be virus-free.” At-risk agricultural workers are offered testing, and those who work on an impacted farm continue to test for two weeks after a quarantine is lifted.
The NDA and USDA have also partnered to conduct controlled culling of invasive bird species like the European starling, which are known to spread bird flu in high numbers.
Labus says there have been efforts to develop a vaccine, but a market-ready product is still a long way off.
“The best thing we can do right now is keep wild birds away from the chickens that we have for food production. When you’re trying to protect a large group of birds, the idea isn’t that you can save every animal, but if you can save the group, then you’ve done your job,” Labus says.
What about egg prices? And is milk still safe to drink?
According to the USDA, the latest outbreak has led to the deaths of over 100 million chickens nationwide, which has in part caused infamously high egg prices.
The issue was an early priority for Nevada legislators, who recently passed a law that allows the state to temporarily overrule a 2021 law prohibiting any commercial poultry or eggs from being sold unless they came from a cage-free farm. The new law allows limited 120-day suspensions, which Labus said could both potentially lower egg prices and also create incentive to separating poultry from wild birds.
Nevada farmers also work with the FDA to regularly test every dairy silo for the virus before any milk is sold commercially. Goicoechea says earlier versions of those tests confirmed that bird flu is “rendered inactive by pasteurization.”
“There is no raw milk consumption allowed in the state of Nevada. So, as long as you’re eating or drinking pasteurized dairy products, you’re fine. And there’s no risk of eating meat as long as you’re cooking it to the proper internal temperature,” Goicoechea says.
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