HPAI is a disease that is very contagious and fatal to domestic poultry. It is often transmitted by wild birds. In March 2024, HPAI H5N1 was first detected in dairy cattle.
“We’ve been seeing this dairy strain hitting states across the country.”
Since it was first found, it has spread to 14 other states including Idaho, Colorado, and Wyoming. Currently, there are no detected cases in Utah.
“It kind of gets into an area and then it spreads from dairy to dairy.”
The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food or UDAF have enacted mandatory surveillance for HPAI in all dairies in Cache County.
“One of the reasons that we are focusing on the dairies in Cache County is because we know that the egg layer up there got the dairy strain.”
The agency will collect milk bulk tank samples weekly from all Cache County dairy facilities.
“If a dairy comes back positive, we are going to place them under quarantine, and they won’t be able to move lactating cattle off the dairy except to go directly to slaughter.”
There will also be a permit for any live animals that are leaving the dairy so that they can track where they are going. The disease is mostly spread by lactating cattle, but there are reports that it could have been spread by calves or heifers.
“These are meant to be common sense measures to help prevent the spread of disease.”
Poultry and dairy cattle owners should watch flocks and herds for symptoms of HPAI and report any signs to the State Veterinarian’s Office.