The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a field trial of a vaccine against bird flu in cows, a move that comes four months after companies first asked if such a vaccine could be developed.
Agriculture Minister Tom Vilsack is hopeful for a truly effective vaccine, although the vaccine now being tested has yet to prove itself.
The field trial comes at a time when more than two hundred dairy farms in thirteen states are struggling with an infection. The result is: sick cows, lower production, extra supervision of the milk flow (pasteurization kills the virus) and concern among consumers. Meat from infected animals is also being checked extra. People can become infected through raw meat and insufficiently heated milk. Incidentally, several dairy farms in Canada have also been infected with bird flu.
Less milk production
According to American experts, cows infected with bird flu produce 10% to 25% less milk. This has a significant impact on production per farm and (to a lesser extent) on milk supply as a whole.