You know, I was just getting used to not having to hear about some stupid virus every time I read the news:
The Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) today announced that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been detected in a baby goat that lived on a farm where an outbreak had recently been detected in poultry. Today's announcement marks the first US detection in livestock.
Everyone, everywhere, all at once:
Okay, okay, it's not the end of the world. At least not yet. To be sure, the finding "highlights the possibility of the virus infecting other animals on farms with multiple species," especially during the busy spring migration season.
Yet:
Thankfully, research to-date has shown mammals appear to be dead-end hosts, which means they're unlikely to spread HPAI further.
Whew.
I can definitely recall the bird flu paranoia of the early 2000s and I can tell you I definitely don't want to go back to that — to say nothing of the pandemic hysteria of the last few years!
The virus was only discovered in Minnesota after a farmer noticed some of his newborn goats dying. Experts note that "animals with weakened or immature immune systems, such as the newborn goats" are more likely to contract the virus.
The Minnesota Department of Health, meanwhile, is "monitoring people who had contact with the goats and issued recommendations for personal protective equipment use in that setting."
Hey, I'm not putting on a face mask again — tell the goats it's their turn!
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