COLUMBUS — According to multiple federal agencies, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was detected in a person living in Texas and cattle in Ohio.

What You Need To Know

  • Avian influenza can be deadly to domestic poultry
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the public health risk to HPAI viruses to be low
  • Each week, Spectrum News 1 anchor Chuck Ringwalt and agriculture expert Andy Vance discuss an aspect of the state's agricultural landscape

"A person in the United States has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus..." reads a CDC press release. "This person had exposure to dairy cattle in Texas presumed to be infected with HPAI A(H5N1) viruses."

On April 2, the United States Department of Agriculture said HPAI was detected in cattle in Idaho, Texas, Kansas, Michigan, and New Mexico. As of April 2, the USDA said it was waiting on confirmation of presumptive positive results from Kansas, New Mexico and Ohio.

The Ohio Dept. of Agriculture said a dairy operation in Wood County received cows from a Texas dairy farm on March 8. The release said those cows contracted HPAI. 

The USDA tracks detections of HPAI in commercial birds as well as other livestock including cattle.

"I wouldn't really expect really any serious impact on milk prices. I would expect to see some impact on egg prices,” Agriculture Expert Andy Vance said.

At the time of this article's publication, the CDC said it considers the public health risk to HPAI viruses to be low.

If you have an idea for the Ag Report, a question for Chuck and Andy or you’d like to send a photo of your farm and the work you do, send an email to charles.ringwalt@charter.com. You can also follow Chuck on Facebook.

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