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Bird Flu Outbreak in Dairy Cows Spreads to One Texas Resident

Texas cows, in connection with a recent bird flu outbreak, has sprees the disease to one human in Texas. Photo credit: Shutterstock (Roman Melnyk)

Posted April 3, 2024

One person in Texas has been diagnosed with bird flu which is believed to be connected to an outbreak of the disease in dairy cows in the state, Kansas and New Mexico.

The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed the individual was diagnosed with the H5N1 virus on Monday. The patient had contact with dairy cows and is believed to be associated with detections of avian influenza in dairy cows first reported on by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on March 25.

The affected cattle marked the first time the disease had been found in dairy cows, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Texas resident also marked the second reported case of a human contracting the H5N1 virus in the U.S., the previous case was reported in 2022 in Colorado.

The CDC still considers person-to-person transmission of H5N1 viruses to be very low, while contact with infected birds or animals poses a greater risk.

The United States Department of Agriculture has also said there continues to be no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply. Dairies are required to destroy any products, like milk, from impacted animals.