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Scientists urge testing, biosecurity and vaccination debate after H5N1 detections in dairy and poultry
Summary
State and university diagnostic lab directors told the House Agriculture Subcommittee that NAHLN labs confirmed H5N1 in mammary tissue and milk, described dramatic testing surges in California, and urged a broader discussion of vaccines, biosecurity and surveillance to reduce environmental viral load.
Witnesses told the House Agriculture Subcommittee that highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) has shifted the response calculus for poultry and dairy producers and that testing, biosecurity and possible vaccination strategies must be part of the national response. Dr. Terry Hensley of Texas A&M said Texas A&M, Cornell and Iowa State collaborated using shared samples to demonstrate H5N1 virus in mammary tissue and milk from sick dairy cows; the results were reported to NAHLN and confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories, and USDA announced the dairy confirmation on March 25, 2024. Hensley said the dairy cases showed a rapid drop in milk production and that the network’s coordinated testing was essential to identify the cause. "For several weeks, our laboratories ran every test that…
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