US to study possible respiratory spread of bird flu in dairy cows

MICHIGAN US federal and state agencies are planning research into potential respiratory spread of bird flu among dairy cattle, according to a Reuters interview with Michigan state agriculture and public health officials.

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Scientists and government officials hope the study will guide efforts to contain the virus and reduce its exposure to humans. Respiratory spread could give the virus more chance to evolve, they said. Scientists have so far suspected the virus spreads among animals and humans through contact with infected milk or aerosolised milk droplets, or from exposure to infected birds or poultry.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is working with Michigan State University and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to plan research on farms to evaluate respiratory spread, Dr Tim Boring, the department's director, said in an interview.

"This is an area of concern that we're building out and looking more into," Dr Boring said. The research is a high priority and will be important to guiding the state's public policy, he said.