The United States Government announced this Friday an investment of nearly $200 million to stop the spread of avian flu among dairy cows, in an effort to contain outbreaks that have raised concerns about possible human infections with the H5N1 virus. .
Since late March, the virus has been detected in dairy cattle in nine states in the country.
Scientists have indicated that the outbreak could be more extensive, based on findings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that show H5N1 particles in about 20% of retail milk samples.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will allocate $98 million to support dairy farms, offering up to $28,000 per farm for virus containment efforts, testing and other resources, the agency announced.
For its part, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will provide $101 million through the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to protect public health and the nation's food supply. .
Despite the outbreaks, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra noted that “the risk to the public from this outbreak remains low,” although the CDC continues testing and surveillance efforts to monitor any changes in the virus that may increase. its transmissibility between humans.
To ensure the safety of the commercial milk supply, the FDA will allocate an additional $8 million.
Although the Secretary of Health and Services emphasized that there are no concerns about the safety of commercial milk or beef, experts in this sector have recommended that the American population avoid consuming raw milk.
As an additional measure to limit transmission in livestock — after a worker in Texas tested positive for the virus and was diagnosed with conjunctivitis — the USDA implemented new regulations, requiring negative tests for lactating dairy cows before crossing state lines. , implemented since April 29.