As bird flu outbreaks rise,
piles of dead cattle become shocking Central Valley tableau

• The mortality rate among H5N1 infected dairy cows has been much higher than anticipated.

• Since early August, outbreaks have been reported in 124 California dairy herds.

• According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the current public health risk is low.

On a recent 98-degree afternoon,
dead cows and calves were piled up along the roadside.

Thick swarms of black flies hummed and knocked against the windows of an idling car,
while crows and vultures waited nearby
— eyeballing the taut and bloated carcasses roasting in the October heat.

Since the #H5N1 bird flu virus was first reported in California in early August,
💥124 dairy herds and 13 people
— all dairy workers
— have been infected.

And according to dairy experts, the spread of the virus has yet to abate.
latimes.com/environment/story/…

As bird flu outbreaks rise, piles of dead cattle seen in Central Valley

Although California dairy farmers had heard about the H5N1 bird flu before it hit, none was prepared for the devastation it would cause in some herds.

^{Susanne Rust (Los Angeles Times)}