#EmergingInfectiousDiseases

A recent United States outbreak has shown, for the first time, that the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus can move into dairy cattle and spread between cows. Originating from a wildlife spillover in Texas in 2023, the virus circulated across multiple states for months before detection. The finding raises global concerns about pandemic potential and prompts Thailand to consider its biosecurity and dairy operations in light of evolving risks.

In a startling development that has rung alarm bells across the global public health community, scientists have confirmed for the first time that the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, better known as bird flu, has not only crossed into U.S. dairy cattle, but is now capable of cow-to-cow transmission. This unprecedented leap, tracked to a single wildlife spillover event in Texas in 2023, has rapidly escalated into a multi-state outbreak, deepening fears over the virus’s pandemic potential. The implications of this discovery stretch far beyond the borders of the United States, raising difficult questions for countries like Thailand, where livestock and poultry farming are vital to the economy and public health infrastructure is acutely attuned to zoonotic threats.