Colorado Mandates Weekly Bird Flu Tests for Dairies Amid Widespread Outbreak

Colorado now requires weekly bird flu tests in dairies due to a severe outbreak affecting cows, chickens, and humans. The state has seen millions of egg-laying chickens and infected poultry workers. Federal teams are investigating, and more measures may follow to contain the virus.

Colorado has initiated a new mandate requiring dairies to conduct weekly bird flu tests on their milk supplies, the state's veterinarian disclosed to Reuters on Tuesday. This comes as a federal team has arrived to help investigate an escalating outbreak in cows that has led to infections in humans and chickens.

The new state mandate aims to pinpoint additional farms that may be infected and could potentially spread the disease to other dairies or poultry flocks. Earlier this month, a Colorado farm witnessed the largest cluster of human cases in the United States to date. Bird flu infections associated with dairy cows have recently decimated 3.1 million egg-laying chickens in Colorado, with poultry workers also testing positive.

Since the U.S. outbreak in cows began in late March, Colorado has confirmed 47 infected dairy herds, with nearly 60% of these cases detected in the past month, according to U.S. data. Nationally, 13 states have reported infections in approximately 168 herds since spring. The loss of millions of chickens has prompted Colorado to mandate weekly testing for licensed dairies with lactating cows, explained state veterinarian Maggie Baldwin. Nearly 70% of the state's egg-laying hens have been culled, according to U.S. data.