禽流感首次在华盛顿州奶牛群检出
据兽医媒体Vet Candy报道，美国农业部10月8日确认，华盛顿州两个奶牛群检出H5高致病性禽流感（HPAI）阳性，这是该州牲畜中首次确认感染，也是这场疫情又一次地理扩散。
据报道，此次检出延续了自2024年3月开始影响美国奶牛的疫情，此后已在多个州的牛群中确认。尽管联邦官员称2026年仅在少数州出现病例，病毒抵达华盛顿州表明，疫情爆发两年多后，HPAI对奶牛养殖业仍是现实威胁。
州农业官员表示，正与受影响养殖户合作落实隔离、检测与生物安全措施，并敦促全州奶农加强监测、限制牲畜与设备在农场间流动，报告异常发病或产奶量下降。
联邦动物卫生官员表示，病毒在牛群间主要通过受污染的挤奶设备与牲畜流动传播。官员强调，巴氏杀菌牛奶饮用安全，商业牛奶供应接受常规检测。
华盛顿州奶业集中在亚基马谷（Yakima Valley）与沃特科姆县（Whatcom County），是该州农业经济的重要组成部分。行业组织表示正与州与联邦机构协调防控监测，敦促养殖户不要恐慌，但立即收紧生物安全。
州兽医办公室已开设热线，解答奶农关于检测与生物安全的疑问。
Bird Flu Confirmed in Washington Dairy Cattle for the First Time
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed Oct. 8 that two dairy herds in Washington state tested positive for H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza, marking the first confirmed infections in livestock in the state and another geographic expansion of the outbreak, Vet Candy reported.
The detections extend an outbreak that began affecting U.S. dairy cattle in March 2024 and has since been confirmed in herds across multiple states. Although federal officials say cases have appeared in relatively few states during 2026, the arrival of the virus in Washington demonstrates that HPAI remains an active threat to dairy operations more than two years into the outbreak.
State agriculture officials said they were working with the affected producers on quarantine, testing and biosecurity measures, and urged dairy farmers statewide to strengthen surveillance, limit movement of animals and equipment between farms, and report unusual illness or drops in milk production.
The virus spreads among cattle primarily through contaminated milking equipment and the movement of animals, according to federal animal health officials. Pasteurized milk remains safe to drink, officials stressed, and the commercial milk supply is routinely tested.
Washington's dairy industry — concentrated in Yakima Valley and Whatcom County — is a significant part of the state's agricultural economy. Industry groups said they were coordinating with state and federal agencies on containment and monitoring, and urged producers not to panic but to tighten biosecurity immediately.
The state veterinarian's office has opened a hotline for dairy farmers with questions about testing and biosecurity.
图片来源：图：奶牛在牛舍内采食。公有领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons
