Local cow herds free of bird flu

In veterinary school, Dr. Amber Itle learned to "look for horses, not zebras" when examining an animal.

She means "horses" are common, endemic diseases seen often in clinics, while "zebras" are one-offs, "the ones nobody is looking for."

As in bird flu, aka, "highly pathogenic avian influenza" (HPAI). As Washington's State Veterinarian, Itle and her regional veterinary staff are working to keep this "zebra" away from domestic birds, cattle and people.

The risk of HPAI transmissions increases in the fall as migratory birds return. But unlike the winter of 2022-2023, local hunters are not seeing evidence of HPAI among wild birds, says La Conner resident Larry McCormick. Statewide, only eight wild bird infections have been confirmed, all in Clark County.

Since HPAI was first detected, 50 backyard and two commercial poultry flocks have been infected, according to Itle's employer, the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Not one is in Skagit County.

Nationwide, the bird flu virus is present in 616 dairy cow herds in 15 states, 402 herds in California alone. In Washington, zero.

A mild form of HPAI is being diagnosed in people who work in the dairy industry. All of them are recovering and none live in Washington.

Itle says domestic poultry flocks are at greatest risk.

"It's deadly. When someone calls to report one sick chicken, it's not HPAI. In bird flu, death is the clinical sign. I have 20 dead birds, 40 dead birds. And in every case, there has been direct contact with wild waterfowl."

Because flu viruses are species-specific, a wild bird with influenza can easily infect chickens. Jumping species creates a zebra. In late 2023 or early 2024, what Itle calls "a single spillover event" in Texas transferred HPAI from a wild bird to a mixed backyard flock and then to one cow.

"Bird flu in cows shouldn't happen, but it does sometimes. It was not shocking, but weird."

The new variation is spread not by birds but by other cows, people, dogs, even truck tires. That cows and people recover from this flu is a plus.

For now, Washington only has the wild bird strain, not the dairy strain. Itle and her team are doubling down on detection and containment to hold the line.

Detection means lots of testing when HPAI is suspected. "One-hundred-sixty-five cows in eastern Washington have been tested and they all tested negative," Itle says. "Dairies have stepped forward, doing voluntary testing so they can find it faster, contain it and prevent it."

Skagit county dairies are not being tested, because there is no local threat. Bringing a cow in from California would be the largest risk factor and the WSDA has "a robust system to monitor cattle movement in and out of state," says Itle.

"I can move my cows from Beaver Marsh Road to Van Pelt Lane because it is a closed herd," says local dairyman Jason Vander Kooy of Harmony Dairy. "We are not bringing in animals from Idaho or California and mixing them with our cows."

Besides protecting animal health and welfare, Itle also protects Washington trade. "We want to show the world that we don't have this disease or lots of other diseases that have an economic impact.

"When people get nervous, there's always that risk of shutting down states, regions or country exports for poultry or birds."

Or milk, which would be a disaster for Vander Kooy and the other 350 farmer-members of the Darigold cooperative, which sells powdered milk from Washington around the world.

That milk "is the safest, most tested and scrutinized product out there," says Vander Kooy. "It's tested 3-4 times before it goes into the final product, which is why we have very few recalls."

Keeping bird flu out of dairy herds is a good story of cooperation, says Vander Kooy. "States are working with other states to contain it. Sometimes it's easy just to protect your area and tell everybody else to take a hike but it's been a good national effort."

"We want to keep state infection levels as low as possible," agrees Itle.