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2mo ago

New Bird Flu Strain Detected in Nevada Cows and Dairy Worker

The D1.1 strain, linked to wild birds, marks the first U.S. case of bird flu in cows and has infected a Churchill County dairy worker with mild symptoms.

A red warning sign at the side of a road warns that the reader is entering an avian flu control zone. Taken in winter sunshine with a blue sky in Derbyshire, UK.
File - Dairy cows stand in a field outside of a milking barn at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center research facility in Ames, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall,File)
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Overview

  • Nevada has reported the first U.S. cases of the D1.1 bird flu strain in dairy cows, with infections concentrated in Churchill County and linked to wild birds.
  • A dairy worker in Churchill County tested positive for the virus, experiencing only conjunctivitis; there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
  • The D1.1 strain is genetically distinct from the earlier B3.13 strain, which previously infected dairy workers and poultry but caused less severe symptoms in humans.
  • Health officials emphasize that the risk to the general public remains low, though those in close contact with infected animals face higher exposure risks.
  • Efforts to control the spread include quarantining infected areas and reducing populations of European starlings, suspected carriers of the virus in livestock feedlots.