Health, farm experts say no sign of bird flu in New York state

Benjamin Joe, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·3 min read
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May 10—While an outbreak outbreak of bird flu in the nation's dairy cows has spread to more than 40 herds in nine states, local officials say there's no need for concern in New York.

Justin Rogers, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County, said there have not been any cases of bird flu in Niagara County or New York state as of Friday.

Niagara County Public Health Director Daniel Stapleton had said as much in a phone interview on Thursday.

"There is nothing to do because it is not here," he said.

Stapleton said if something were to happen, it would be communicated to the public and he and the county would defer to the New York State Department of Health for marching orders. He also said that the USDA tests for bird flu across the country, including New York, and there's no sign of it in New York state.

U.S. health and agriculture officials pledged nearly $200 million in new spending and other efforts Friday to help track and contain an outbreak of bird flu in the nation's dairy cows that has spread to more than 40 herds in nine states.

The new spending comes more than six weeks after the first-ever detection of an avian bird flu virus in dairy cattle — and one confirmed infection in a Texas dairy worker exposed to infected cows who developed a mild eye infection and then recovered. About 33 people have been tested and another 260 are being monitored, according to the CDC.

The new funds include $101 million to continue work to prevent, test, track and treat animals and humans potentially affected by the virus known as Type A H5N1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said. They include about $98 million to provide up to $28,000 each to help individual farms test cattle and bolster biosecurity efforts to halt the spread of the virus, according to the Agriculture Department.

In addition, dairy farmers will be compensated for the loss of milk production from infected cattle, whose supply drops dramatically when they become sick, officials said. Dairy farmers and farm workers would be paid to participate in a workplace study conducted by the USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rogers. of Niagara's Cornell Cooperative Extension, said that while the disease could be transmitted to dairy cows, there is no basis for fear of dairy in Niagara County.

"People should feel safe at this point. We want to encourage people to continue to enjoy dairy products. I made my daughter a milkshake this morning — a smoothie for breakfast," he said. "So (I believe) all is well with what our producers are putting out there. Don't skip the ice cream because you're afraid of avian flu."

That also goes for people who feed the birds.

"It's not going to impact the avian flu situation, one way or the other," Rogers said. "That virus can be carried like any flu virus and feeding (wild birds) will not make a difference."