Four more cats have died of H5N1 bird flu in the United States, including two pets in South Dakota with no links to poultry or dairy cows, according to state and federal officials. At least 14 cats have recently died of bird flu.
According to a state official and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), two of the newly reported cases were domestic cats that died at a property in Campbell County in South Dakota.
Beth Thompson, the state’s veterinarian, said there was no livestock on the property where the pets died. “No other details regarding how the cats were infected are known at this time,” Thompson told BNO News.
Two other cases were recently reported in Michigan, one in Isabella County and the other in Ionia County. Both cases involved barn cats on commercial dairy farms where cows were also infected with H5N1.
At the property in Ionia County, two Virginia opossums were also infected with the bird flu virus.
“Cats are particularly susceptible to H5N1 2.3.4.4b viruses and the majority of sick cats have been reported at or near affected poultry facilities or dairies,” Shilo Weir, a spokesperson for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, told BNO News.
At least 14 cats in the United States have died of H5N1 bird flu since the virus was confirmed in dairy cows in late March. The real number of infected cats is believed to be higher due to limited testing.
Earlier this month, officials confirmed that a domestic cat in Montana was also infected with H5N1 after exhibiting “neurologic signs” and the discovery of a dead skunk on the property. It’s unclear if the skunk was also infected.
The global spread of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b – and the recent spread to a growing number of mammals – has raised concern about the possibility of human-to-human transmission from a future variant though, so far, only a few human cases have been found after contact with infected birds or cattle.
At the property in Ionia County, two Virginia opossums were also infected with the bird flu virus.
“Cats are particularly susceptible to H5N1 2.3.4.4b viruses and the majority of sick cats have been reported at or near affected poultry facilities or dairies,” Shilo Weir, a spokesperson for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, told BNO News.
At least 14 cats in the United States have died of H5N1 bird flu since the virus was confirmed in dairy cows in late March. The real number of infected cats is believed to be higher due to limited testing.
Earlier this month, officials confirmed that a domestic cat in Montana was also infected with H5N1 after exhibiting “neurologic signs” and the discovery of a dead skunk on the property. It’s unclear if the skunk was also infected.
The global spread of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b – and the recent spread to a growing number of mammals – has raised concern about the possibility of human-to-human transmission from a future variant though, so far, only a few human cases have been found after contact with infected birds or cattle.
