Oregon Agriculture Officials Confirm State's First Case of Bird Flu in Dairy Cattle - OPB

Bird flu has landed on a commercial dairy farm in Oregon for the first time, confirmed by state agriculture officials on Tuesday in Morrow County, opb reported.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture placed the affected farm under quarantine while state investigators work to figure out how the cattle contracted the virus. State officials have not identified any other dairies dealing with infections.

This detection arrives as the virus spreads among dairy cattle across the country, following initial detections in March 2024 that eventually hit herds in states like Washington, Idaho, and California. Oregon discovered the virus through a routine statewide milk surveillance program featuring weekly testing launched in late 2024.

“Oregon’s milk surveillance program worked exactly as intended, identifying this infection quickly and allowing us to respond rapidly with our state and federal partners,” said Dr. Ryan Scholz, the state veterinarian for the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

State health officials have not disclosed how many people faced exposure to the sick cows in Morrow County. Medical staff are actively monitoring exposed farmworkers for any symptoms.

“With the use of appropriate personal protective equipment, the risk to farm workers remains low,” said Dr. Melissa Sutton, the medical director of respiratory viral pathogens at the Oregon Health Authority, told opb. “Our public health approach is focused on ensuring rapid testing and treatment for any individuals who develop symptoms to prevent severe disease.”

Earlier this month, a farmworker in Washington’s Yakima County died after catching the virus, though human deaths linked to bird flu remain very rare. Health officials said that the worker had underlying health conditions, while two other Yakima farmworkers contracted the virus without experiencing severe illness or requiring hospitalization. Washington state has seen the virus spread rapidly, with at least 41 dairy farms testing positive over the last 30 days.

Public health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that the general population faces a low public health risk, though individuals working closely with dairy cattle or poultry carry a higher risk. Officials maintain that the nation’s milk supply and dairy products remain safe because pasteurization effectively inactivates the virus. Furthermore, milk from sick animals is diverted or destroyed before it enters the food supply.

Avian influenza has impacted millions of poultry birds across the United States since 2022, including more than one million commercial and backyard chickens in Oregon, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Unlike poultry, which typically catch the virus from wild migratory waterfowl, evidence that suggests the virus affecting dairy cattle is primarily spreading from cow to cow.

The virus has also jumped to other animals, including wild mammals. In Oregon, state testing previously identified the virus in at least one pig at a noncommercial farm, alongside skunks, raccoons, rodents, and at least five cats last year.