SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 3, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — State agriculture officials have announced weekly mandatory surveillance of all Cache County commercial dairy operators after finding the HPAI virus in the county.
“The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) has enacted mandatory weekly surveillance for all commercial dairy facilities in Cache County following a detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the area,” the agency said Tuesday afternoon.
“Here is what you need to know,” UDAF said:
● The Food Supply is Safe: There are no major impacts anticipated for the food supply chain. Commercial pasteurization effectively kills the virus, making retail dairy products completely safe to consume.
● Public Risk is Low: According to health officials, this detection does not present an immediate risk to the general public.
● What Surveillance Does: Weekly milk testing allows UDAF to catch cases early, implement quick biosecurity measures, and protect neighboring herds.
For symptoms to watch for in livestock or to read the full news release, visit this link.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, human infections of the virus are rare, but 50 percent fatal.
“Although human infections with HPAI A(H5N1) virus are rare, having unprotected exposure to any infected animal or to an environment in which infected birds or other infected animals are or have been present increases risk of infection,” the agency says.
“Therefore, people with work or recreational exposures to H5N1 virus-infected animals are at increased risk of infection and should follow recommended precautions.”
“The panzootic (animal equivalent of pandemic) of HPAI A(H5N1) viruses in wild birds has resulted in outbreaks among commercial poultry and backyard bird flocks and has spread to infect wild terrestrial and marinemammals, as well as domesticated animals.
“Sporadic human infections with HPAI A(H5N1) virus have been reported in 23 countries since 1997 with a case fatality proportion of plus 50%, but only a small number of H5N1 cases have been reported in humans since 2022.”
The UDAF said the agency was notified Monday of a sample from a dairy in Cache County that tested positive for HPAI. Federal funding is available to cover the cost of the testing and there will be no additional cost to producers.
“In the event of a positive test, the dairy will be placed under a quarantine and no movement of lactating cattle will be permitted on or off the facility, with the exception of cows going directly to slaughter.”
UDAF said there have been no confirmed cases of HPAI in humans in Utah.
