Experts Say Bird Flu Spread Among Dairy Herds Via Interstate Transportation

The New York Times (5/20, Anthes, Qiu) reports that the H5N1 bird flu “that is spreading through American dairy cows can probably be traced back to a single spillover event” when the cattle originally contracted the virus from wild birds in the Texas panhandle late last year. It then traveled to other states via transportation of live cattle. This type of “live animal transport is essential to industrial animal agriculture, which has become increasingly specialized,” but the movement of animals complicates managing disease outbreaks due to long-distance transport of pathogens.