In early February, dairy farmers in Texas noticed sick cattle, which was later identified as a highly pathogenic strain of the bird flu virus, H5N1. The outbreak spread to eight other states before being detected. The virus hasn’t adapted to spread from person to person, but mutations within cows could pose a risk. The delay in recognizing the virus on high-tech farms was due to its unexpected arrival in dairy cattle. Genomic analysis suggests Texas as the epicenter of the outbreak. Federal restrictions have caused backlash from farmers, and further research is needed to understand the virus’s spread and risk to humans.
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Clues From Bird Flu’s Ground Zero on Dairy Farms in the Texas Panhandle
