New Zealand vigilant as US dairy herds catch bird flu

NZ has never had a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza. (Image: Unsplash)

Wed, 17 Apr 2024

New Zealand officials are closely monitoring overseas developments after bird flu has spread to two dozen US dairy herds across eight states. One human is reportedly infected. Tests so far indicate the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) detected is the H5N1 strain.It is the first time the virus has been found in cows and marks the first instance of cow-to-human spread of bird flu, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. NZ has never had a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza and “we have sy...

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