Idaho Dairy Herds Cut Bird Flu Quarantines 24% to 62 as Warm Weather Slows Spread
Updated
Updated · Capital Press · Jul 22
Idaho Dairy Herds Cut Bird Flu Quarantines 24% to 62 as Warm Weather Slows Spread
1 articles · Updated · Capital Press · Jul 22
Summary
62 Idaho dairy herds were under bird-flu quarantine in the week starting July 20, down from a late-June peak of 82 as cases trended lower over the past month.
Hot, dry weather has made conditions less hospitable for H5N1 and appears to be helping affected dairies clear the virus faster, state veterinarian Scott Leibsle said.
Nine new Idaho livestock cases were confirmed over the last 30 days, all on dairy milking-cow premises, and the state's last reported detection was July 13.
Idaho still lacks a cattle vaccine, leaving officials focused on faster detection and herd monitoring while stressing the outbreak is a business and animal-welfare issue, not a food-safety threat because pasteurization kills the virus.
Since the 2024 outbreak began, Idaho has logged 173 livestock cases and the U.S. total has reached 1,167, though only 79 have been reported nationwide so far this year.