<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=28JNnN_0wPNm8zk00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=28JNnN_0wPNm8zk00" width="1200" height="767" >(Bloomberg) -- Dairy farmers in California are grappling with a steadily advancing outbreak of avian flu in their herds – a problem few of them want to talk about publicly, but that none of them can afford to ignore.Most Read from BloombergBird flu has been reported in more than 170 herds in California since late August, with the state accounting for nearly half of all US cases detected in dairy cows since the outbreak began in March.One farmer, who asked not to be named to protect his privacy, said he watched this summer as the outbreak marched toward his farm in Fresno County, in the state’s Central Valley region. First, the virus was found at a dairy eight miles to the north. A week later, it surfaced four miles away, and then two miles.“It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when it was going to come,” said the farmer, who prepared trailers to treat sick animals and braced for the pathogen to arrive. The disease was detected in one of his milk tanks in September.California produces more milk than any other US state. While the outbreak hasn’t yet led to shortages, that could change if the flu continues to spread. What’s more, news images of dead animals have spurred worries among farmers that the disease could cause alarm and imperil their livelihoods — and that the industry could be blamed if the bird flu propagates among people.Federal health officials have said that the risk to the general public remains low. Fifteen people in California have tested positive after being exposed to sick cows, out of 34 confirmed cases in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The flu’s spread has strained the dairy industry, as farmers pour additional resources into treating sick cows and even cull animals whose milk production never returns to normal. And another delicate problem has arisen: dealing with the carcasses when large numbers of animals die of the disease.“We were not prepared for the severity of this outbreak in California,” said Anja Raudabaugh, the chief executive officer of Western United Dairies, a trade organization representing farms that account for more than three-quarters of the milk produced in California. “The biosecurity measures worked, until they didn’t.”Some herds “are really being impacted and others are just getting sniffles,” said Raudabaugh, who said she is “very concerned” about the effects on overall milk production.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

California Becomes Hot Spot for Bird Flu Cases in Cows, Sparking Fears

(Bloomberg) -- Dairy farmers in California are grappling with a steadily advancing outbreak of avian flu in their herds – a problem few of them want to talk about publicly, but that none of them can afford to ignore. Most Read from Bloomberg. Bird flu has been reported in...