Veterinarians and researchers continue to discover more about the HPAI illness affecting dairy herds. So far, no cows have died, but the virus has already caused about 20% income loss in affected operations.

Fred Gingrich, executive director of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, said influenza in animals is treated the same as in people, with supportive care. There’s no actual treatment since it is a virus.

Jamie Jonker, chief science officer for the National Milk Producers Federation, said there continues to be no concern about the safety of the milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health because products are pasteurized before entering the market per the FDA.

The more samples from cows with symptoms, the more information will be learned about the epidemiology of the virus. Farmers and the public need to realize this virus is easy to kill.

Read more about ongoing research into the HPAI outbreak here.