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H5N1 bird flu found in milk produced by dairy cattle: AZDA

By
Updated  February 14, 2025 12:29pm MST
Health
FOX 10 Phoenix

The Brief

    • A genotype of the H5N1 avian influenza virus was found in milk, according to officials with the Arizona Department of Agriculture.
    • The virus was found in milk produced by a daird herd in Maricopa County.
    • The genotype of H5N1 found "bears no features that would make it more likely to infect humans."

PHOENIX - Officials with the Arizona Department of Agriculture said on Friday that they have confirmed the first detection in Arizona of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in milk.

What we know:

Per a statement, the milk was produced by a dairy herd in Maricopa County. The cattle have not yet displayed signs of illness.

"As a protective measure, the facility is currently under quarantine," read a portion of the statement.

Officials said the genotype discovered in the milk, specifically the D1.1 genotype, "bears no features that would make it more likely to infect humans."

What they're saying:

"Every dairy in Arizona has been tested at least once since January; thus far only a sample from this dairy has tested positive. Milk and other dairy products that have been pasteurized are safe to consume," read a portion of the statement.

Previous detections reported in Maricopa County

This is not the first time a genotype of the H5N1 bird flu virus was detected in Maricopa County and other surrounding areas.

Dig deeper:

On Nov. 15, Arizona Department of Agriculture officials said poultry at a commercial farm in Pinal County tested positive for bird flu.

Weeks later, on Nov. 25, state health and agriculture officials say a backyard flock within Maricopa County tested positive for the virus.

On Dec. 6, state health officials said two people who were "exposed to infected poultry while working at a commercial facility in Pinal County" tested positive for bird flu.

On Dec. 11, Maricopa County health officials say bird flu likely led to the deaths of five animals at Wildlife World Zoo.

Finally, on Dec. 30, we reported that according to Maricopa County health officials, "an influenza subtype associated with avian flu" was found in wastewater within the county.

What is avian influenza?

(Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).

According to the Mayo Clinic, avian influenza, which is also called ‘bird flu,’ is caused by influenza type A virus infections in bird species.

Per the website, birds could die from avian influenza in very serious cases.

"Bird flu rarely infects humans, but health officials worry because influenza A viruses that infect birds can change, called mutate, to infect humans and spread from person to person more often," read a portion of the website. "Because a new strain of bird flu would be a new virus to humans, a mutated strain like that could spread quickly around the world."

The Source

  • Information for this article was gathered from a statement issued by the Arizona Department of Agriculture, with supplemental information gathered from previous, relevant FOX 10 news reports. 

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