by I. Edwards
The hen flu virus that has been spreading amongst dairy cows could journey by the air and wastewater at farms, not simply from milking gear, a brand new research finds.
Researchers say this might put cows and employees at higher danger, even when nobody seems sick.
“There isn’t any a technique” this virus spreads, lead writer Seema Lakdawala, a virus knowledgeable at Emory College in Atlanta, informed The New York Occasions.
The research, which must be thought to be preliminary as a result of it has not but been peer-reviewed, checked out 14 dairy farms in California, the place hen flu was reported in late 2024 and early 2025.
Scientists collected samples from the air, milking machines, wastewater and cows. They discovered dwell virus within the air of milking parlors or enclosed areas the place cows are milked.
Additionally they discovered traces of the virus within the breath of contaminated cows, in contaminated water and on milking gear.
“There’s tons of aerosols being generated through the strategy of milking,” Lakdawala defined.
Specialists beforehand thought the virus, also called H5N1, unfold principally from soiled gear or human contact. However this research and others present that won’t clarify all circumstances.
Lakdawala’s workforce discovered cows with no seen signs who have been nonetheless contaminated, that means the virus could also be spreading silently by herds.
Thus far, the hen flu virus has reached greater than 1,000 herds in 17 states, together with many in California, knowledge from the U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) exhibits. It is also contaminated dozens of individuals within the U.S., inflicting quite a few hospitalizations and one demise.
The virus appears to pay attention in cow’s milk, particularly that from sick animals. That milk turns into thick and yellow, in accordance with the research.
As a result of milking machines are used rapidly on many cows, they’ll carry the virus from one animal to the subsequent. However in some research, cows uncovered solely to contaminated gear did not all the time get sick.
The brand new analysis means that tiny droplets of milk within the air could be one more method the virus spreads.
Some farmworkers could have gotten contaminated when milk splashed into their eyes or faces, researchers mentioned. Cats that drank contaminated milk have additionally gotten very sick, and plenty of died.
Specialists say these milking rooms are sometimes scorching and humid, so many employees are likely to keep away from sporting masks.
However even face shields might help cut back the chance of getting sick, Lakdawala informed The Occasions.
“We will have extra human infections perpetually,” she added.
“It may create one thing that’s going to be fairly harmful in a number of years,” Lakdawala added.
Thus far, most contaminated People have not develop into critically ailing. That could be as a result of many individuals have some safety from previous flu viruses, together with H1N1.
Nonetheless, younger youngsters and folks with weak immune programs could also be extra weak to extreme sickness, mentioned Troy Sutton, a flu knowledgeable at Pennsylvania State College.
Different consultants say extra consideration could also be wanted this fall, when hen migration begins once more and the chance of unfold grows.
Findings from the California research have been posted Aug. 2 on the preprint server bioRxiv.
Extra data:
A.J. Campbell et al, Surveillance on California dairy farms reveals a number of sources of H5N1 transmission, bioRxiv (2025). DOI: 10.1101/2025.07.31.666798
The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention has extra on hen flu.
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