By Liam Hibbert | The Center Square Contributor
(THE CENTER SQUARE) — State agriculture officials confirmed Tuesday that a dairy farm in Maricopa County tested positive for bird flu – Arizona’s first detection of the virus in milk.
The Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) announced Friday that it discovered the case of bird flu, or H5N1 avian influenza, in a routine test.
Officials have placed the facility under quarantine, but the cattle have not shown signs of sickness. While the detected bird flu was found to be the D1.1 strain, the Arizona infection is distinct from the recent D.1.1 genotype found in Nevada, the AZDA said.
Earlier this week, Nevada confirmed its first human case of bird flu, from the same strain, D1.1, that killed a Louisiana man in January.
The AZDA stressed that pasteurized milk and dairy products are safe to consume and that all dairy in Arizona has been tested at least once since January with no other detected cases.
Health authorities said the general public faces low risk from this outbreak, but they warned that people working closely with dairy cattle may have increased risk.
The H5N1 bird flu has spread across the country and caused the death of over 150 million poultry birds since 2022 in an effort to stop the spread, while 23 million birds were infected in January alone.
The AZDA continues to monitor the situation in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
