Colorado issued a mandatory order on July 22 requiring all commercial cow dairies in the state to conduct weekly testing of milk samples for the highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as bird flu.
The state’s Department of Agriculture said the measure is intended to help authorities identify infected dairies and prevent the further spread of avian influenza.
State veterinarian Dr. Maggie Baldwin said the state has “not been able to curb the spread of disease” after nearly three months of efforts to navigate the avian influenza outbreak in dairy operations.
“We have seen devastating impacts of this disease not only to our dairy industry, but our poultry industry as well,” Dr. Baldwin said in a statement.
“With the strong support of the dairy and poultry industries, we feel that this is the best next step in order to protect these vital industries in our state.”
The state has implemented control measures including requiring all licensed dairy cow facilities that produce products for human consumption to submit weekly samples for testing.
The samples will be collected by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and sent to the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for testing.
“Dairies currently under order of quarantine or order for testing are subject to those specific orders. This does not include raw milk facilities,” the department stated.
Avian influenza has affected 33 confirmed poultry flocks in Colorado from April 2022 to March 2024, leading to the loss of more than 6.3 million domestic poultry in the state, the department said.
Colorado has the highest number of reported avian influenza cases in the United States, with 47 confirmed detections so far, according to the statement.
“Mandatory surveillance of highly pathogenic avian influenza across all of Colorado’s Grade A commercial dairies is a critical next step to taming down the virus and protecting the food system,” Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg said.
“Ongoing cooperation is key to supporting workers’ health and safety, protecting animal health and welfare, and minimizing the spread of the virus.”
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said on July 14 that four human cases of bird flu had been confirmed, with one additional case being “presumptive positive” and pending confirmation by the CDC.
The workers were culling poultry at a farm in northeast Colorado when they showed mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis and common respiratory infection symptoms. None were hospitalized.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the H5N1 avian influenza has affected more than 168 dairies in 13 states since its outbreak in 2022.
