Another variant of bird flu that has infected dairy cows in Nevada is raising concerns about its spread and how to keep people and animals safe.

Forms of the virus identified as Type A H5N1 spread from wild birds into cattle at least two times, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Thursday.

“Experts said it raises new questions about wider spread and the difficulty of controlling infections in animals and the people who work closely with them,” the outlet continued:

A version of the H5N1 bird flu virus known as B3.13 was confirmed in March after being introduced to cattle in late 2023, scientists said. It has infected more than 950 herds in 16 states. The new version, known as D1.1, was confirmed in Nevada cattle on Friday, according to USDA. It was detected in milk collected as part of a surveillance program launched in December.

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The D1.1 version of the virus was the type linked to the first U.S. death tied to bird flu and a severe illness in Canada. A person in Louisiana died in January after developing severe respiratory symptoms following contact with wild and backyard birds. In British Columbia, a teen girl was hospitalized for months with a virus traced to poultry.

During a recent interview with Western Ag Network, Nevada Agriculture Director Dr. J.J. Goicoechea said officials are still trying to determine “how this variant may be moving, is it cow to cow, is it strictly falling out of the sky, if you will, with the birds?”

“Pasteurization kills this virus. It continues to kill this virus. We know that. Your food is safe; cook it to proper internal temperatures. There’s no risk to that. We don’t see a risk to a decrease [sic] milk supply,” he added, also noting that people should look at it as the flu you got last year is not the flu you got this year.

“These viruses are going to continue to mutate. It’s nature, it’s what they do,” he continued:

Six dairy herds in Nevada tested positive for the virus and officials with the USDA are investigating, according to Click on Detroit.

In May, the bird flu outbreak in the nation’s dairy cows prompted scientists to test mRNA vaccines to protect humans and cows, AP reported at the time.

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