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National Milk Testing Strategy for H5N1 now accounts for two-thirds of U.S. dairy herds.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it is enrolling an additional six states in the National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS). This brings the total number of states testing under NMTS guidelines to 36 since the first round of states joined in early December.
The six states enrolling in the strategy on Jan. 17, 2025, are: Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina and West Virginia. This brings the agency closer to conducting mandatory, nationwide bulk milk surveillance in all 48 contiguous states.
APHIS had announced a second round of enrollments on Dec. 17, 2024, that added seven states to the initial round, and a third round of 15 additional states was announced earlier this month, on Jan. 8.
With the enrollment of six additional states, the NMTS will account for bulk milk tank samples from two-thirds of the nation’s dairy herds, or nearly three-quarters of the nation’s milk production, USDA reported. This data will further enhance the understanding of the presence of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among dairy herds for USDA and its federal partners.
NMTS involves five stages that describe a state’s testing activity and the presence of H5N1 in that state. Of the 36 states currently enrolled, APHIS said 17 states are considered to be in Stage 2, meaning they have state-level bulk tank sampling programs already underway. California, Michigan, and Nevada are considered to be in Stage 3, meaning they are affected states that have rapid response measures in place to address detections. Sixteen states are in Stage 1, meaning that silo testing is underway or is set to begin imminently. Mississippi has moved to Stage 4, which means all dairy herds in the state are considered to be unaffected. Mississippi will continue sampling to demonstrate absence of the virus.
USDA continues to work directly with states to bring them on board as quickly as possible while also accommodating state-specific needs based on their infrastructure, state personnel availability, and other considerations.
Any newly affected herds identified through the NMTS will be added to USDA’s livestock detections map. APHIS will continue to update new states as enrolled and state stage status every Friday on its NMTS page. HPAI detections that result from the NMTS will be included in the routine reports shared by APHIS.
Since the beginning of the outbreak in March 2024, the agency 112,000 samples have been tested through USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, ranging from milk tests that represent multiple herds to individual tests from wild or domestic animals. This testing continues to be provided at no cost to producers.
As part of the NMTS sampling of milk silos and bulk tank milk, APHIS said it has not detected any affected herds in new states without previous confirmed detections. Testing conducted by states participating in the NMTS provides a high level of confidence that an affected herd would be identified.
For example, APHIS pointed out that Michigan, which has effectively managed positive herds, was able to detect a previously unknown infected herd through its NMTS efforts and bulk tank testing program. The agency considers this a strong indicator that the strategy is working as expected, is performing effective surveillance of HPAI in the national dairy herd and underscores the need for continued monitoring and surveillance efforts at the bulk tank level.
In its news release earlier this month, APHIS had additionally stated its intention to develop a livestock vaccine to treat the more virulent H5N1 strain of HPAI currently circulating in animals and create a vaccine stockpile. The agency noted that a well-matched vaccine candidate in dairy cattle might be more successful in slowing the spread of H5N1 and added a notice to begin accepting licensure applications from interested vaccine manufacturers and authorize field trials.
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