SEDALIA, Mo. — Dairy cow farmers hoping to participate in the upcoming 2024 Missouri State Fair will have to put their cows through new biosecurity measures.
The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that dairy cows exhibited during the fair, which runs through Aug. 8-18 in Sedalia, must test negative for H5N1 influenza, commonly known as bird flu. Tests are administered to dairy cow milk samples and must test negative within seven days of shipment.
"These health requirements are in place for the 2024 Missouri State Fair in an effort to protect the dairy industry and all of agriculture,” said Missouri State Veterinarian Steve Strubberg. “There have been no cases of H5N1 influenza detected in Missouri dairy cattle. Still, we want to operate in a manner of caution while allowing dairy exhibitors the opportunity to show their animals.”
The new requirement was announced a day before the nation confirmed its fourth human case of bird flu tied to a multistate outbreak of the virus in dairy cows, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A dairy worker initially reported symptoms to state health officials and was later confirmed by the CDC.
There have been five human cases of bird flu recorded, four of which have happened since January. Two cases have been recorded in Michigan, one in Colorado and another in Texas.
"People should also avoid unprotected exposures to animal poop, bedding (litter), unpasteurized (“raw”) milk, or materials that have been touched by, or close to, birds or other animals with suspected or confirmed A(H5N1) virus," the CDC said.
According to the American Veterinarian Medical Association, while H5N1 is associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate in birds, most affected dairy cattle recover with supportive treatment, and their mortality and culling rate is at 2% or less.
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