Results for: Animal Health

The new Cabinet is set to approve a comprehensive 100-day action plan focused on enhancing animal health, boosting dairy farming, and promoting conservation efforts. The plan includes the launch of three key schemes: the revamped Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), the Animal Health System Support for One Health (AHSSOH), and a convergence framework for the National Fodder Mission. These initiatives aim to address challenges related to low feed and fodder availability, poor livestock health, and the decline of indigenous breeds due to climate change.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has detected genetic evidence of H5N1 avian influenza in the country’s milk supply through testing. However, the agency emphasizes that pasteurization, a widespread milk treatment process, effectively inactivates the virus. Consequently, the FDA maintains that the U.S. milk supply remains safe for consumption.

A bird flu outbreak is spreading through dairy herds in the United States, prompting warnings from experts and concerns about the potential for human infections. As of Monday, 32 dairy herds in eight states have been affected, raising questions about the origin and transmission of the virus. The USDA has not confirmed whether the infections are part of a single outbreak chain, and the spread of the virus between cows remains unclear.

To increase transparency and support disease research, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published genetic data from avian flu virus samples. The release comes after scientists raised concerns about the limited public information available to assess the outbreak’s risk. While the virus has not significantly impacted the dairy industry or milk supply, it has decimated bird populations and infected various mammal species, including cattle, a cat, and a human. The USDA released 239 genetic sequences of H5N1 samples from different animals and has previously shared sequences from the initial outbreak on a Texas dairy farm.

A 13-year-old girl in the Philippines died of rabies two months after being bitten by a stray dog. The girl, Jamaica Star Seraspe, initially hid the incident from her parents and sought medical attention only after developing serious symptoms. Her tragic story serves as a reminder of the importance of seeking immediate medical attention for animal bites and the devastating consequences of rabies.