Health
Bird flu-infected cows have died in 5 states as experts closely monitor the disease
- Dairy cows infected with bird flu in five U.S. states have died or been slaughtered by farmers because they did not recover. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says the vast majority of cows recover well.
- Bird flu infections lead cattle to suffer reduced milk production, digestive issues, fever, and diminished appetite, and can beget secondary infections that can be lethal.
- The USDA reported that no viral particles were found in samples of ground beef collected at retail stores, and that no bird flu virus was found after cooking ground beef to medium to well done after it was injected with a virus surrogate as part of an experiment.
Dairy cows infected with avian flu in five U.S. states have died or been slaughtered by farmers because they did not recover, state officials and academics told Reuters.
Reports of the deaths suggest the bird flu outbreak in cows could take a greater economic toll in the farm belt than initially thought. Farmers have long culled poultry infected by the virus, but cows cost much more to raise than chickens or turkeys.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson said the agency knew of a few deaths but that the vast majority of cows recover well. Reuters was not able to determine the total number of cows with bird flu that died or were killed in South Dakota, Michigan, Texas, Ohio and Colorado.
WHO CONFIRMS FIRST HUMAN DEATH FROM A(H5N2) BIRD FLU
Avian flu has infected dairy cows in more than 80 herds across 10 states since late March, according to the USDA.
Some of the animals died of secondary infections contracted after bird flu weakened their immune systems, said state veterinarians, agriculture officials, and academics assisting in state responses to bird flu. Other cows were killed by farmers because they failed to recover from the virus.
Cattle infected with bird flu suffer reduced milk production, digestive issues, fever, and diminished appetite, according to farmers and veterinarians.
Cows graze in an oil production field in Midland, Texas, on February 13, 2019. Dairy cows infected with bird flu have died or been slaughtered by farmers because they did not recover in five U.S. states. (Reuters/Nick Oxford/ File Photo)
In South Dakota, a 1,700-cow dairy sent a dozen of the animals to slaughter after they did not recover from the virus, and killed another dozen that contracted secondary infections, said Russ Daly, a professor with South Dakota State University and veterinarian for the state extension office who spoke with the farm.
“You get sick cows from one disease, then that creates a domino effect for other things, like routine pneumonia and digestive issues,” Daly said.
A farm in Michigan killed about 10% of its 200 infected cows after they too failed to recover from the virus, said Phil Durst, an educator with Michigan State University Extension who spoke with that farm.
Michigan has more confirmed infections in cattle than any state as well as two of three confirmed cases of U.S. dairy workers who contracted bird flu.
In Colorado, some dairies reported culling cows with avian flu because they did not return to milk production, said Olga Robak, spokesperson for the state Department of Agriculture.
Ohio Department of Agriculture spokesperson Meghan Harshbarger said infected cows have died in Ohio and other affected states, mostly due to secondary infections.
The Texas Animal Health Commission also confirmed that cows have died from secondary infections at some dairy operations with avian flu outbreaks.
Officials could not provide figures for the number of statewide cow mortalities.
New Mexico’s state veterinarian, Samantha Uhrig, said farmers increasingly culled cows due to decreased milk production early in the outbreak, before the U.S. even confirmed bird flu was infecting cattle. Culling decreased as farmers learned that most cows gradually recovered, she said.
Officials in North Carolina and Kansas said there have been few to no cow deaths associated with bird flu in their states. Idaho officials did not respond to requests for information.
Bird flu virus particles were found in beef tissue taken from one dairy cow sent to be slaughtered for meat, and meat from the animal did not enter the food supply, USDA said last month.
The agency has reported that no viral particles were found in samples of ground beef collected at retail stores, and that no bird flu virus was found after cooking ground beef to medium to well done, after it was injected with a virus surrogate as part of an experiment.
Health
Filtered water at specific ages could add months to your lifespan decades later, new study finds
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Drinking filtered water may extend a person’s life by several months, according to a new study.
The research, published in the American Journal of Health Economics, reveals that being exposed to water filtration systems early in life can significantly increase longevity. By analyzing public health infrastructure shifts from the early 20th century, researchers found that city water filtration alone increased the lifespan of older American men by an average of 3.2 months.
UPGRADE YOUR TAP WITH THESE COUNTERTOP REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEMS
“While water quality has improved in many areas, this study shows the real impacts to communities without access to safe water, both in the U.S. and globally,” co-author Jason Fletcher, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, said in a press release.
“The consequences on human health are significant.”
“This study shows the real impacts to communities without access to safe water,” the study’s author said in a press release. (iStock)
The team analyzed data from the Social Security Administration’s Death Master Files. They tracked death records for American men born between 1975 and 2005, mapping each individual’s year and city of birth to historical water filtration records.
WHERE YOU LIVE COULD SHAPE YOUR RISK OF CANCER MORTALITY, STUDY SUGGESTS
By connecting early-life environments to late-life outcomes, the researchers isolated the lifelong impact of clean water.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Beyond adding months to a person’s life, the study suggests that clean water in childhood sets off a positive chain reaction for socioeconomic and physical development.
The paper is part of a broader research initiative examining how environmental conditions earlier in life shape the modern American lifespan. (iStock)
Additional data from mid-20th-century censuses showed that early exposure to filtered water was linked to increased height, higher education and income levels later in life.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
The paper is part of a broader research initiative called the American Mortality Project, which examines how early-life conditions shape the modern American lifespan.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The researchers exclusively analyzed historical data from American men, meaning the findings may not fully capture how early-life water filtration impacted the long-term longevity, physical growth, or cognitive scores of women from the same era.
Due to analysis of a limited dataset of American cities, this may not apply to other nations or rural communities. (iStock)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The data is limited to public health infrastructure changes across U.S. cities during a specific window in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Because of this, the exact timeline and magnitude of the lifespan extension (3.2 months) may not directly translate to modern developing nations, rural communities, or areas with different environments.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Researchers have found that changing your diet — even later in life — may slow the aging process in as little as one month.
Researchers from the University of Sydney assigned 104 participants aged 65-75 to one of four diets. Two of the diets were omnivorous and included protein from both animals and plants. Two included 70% of protein from plant sources.
One omnivorous diet was high in fat, while the other emphasized carbohydrates. The two semi-vegetarian diets were distinguished in the same way. All four diets derived 14% of energy from protein.
DOCTOR SHARES 3 SIMPLE CHANGES TO STAY HEALTHY AND INDEPENDENT AS YOU AGE
“Biological age” essentially means how old the body appears based on health indicators, called biomarkers, rather than how many years a person has been alive.
University of Sydney researchers found that diet changes had an effect on people’s biological ages after four weeks. (iStock/Getty Images)
The scientists measured 20 varied biomarkers, including cholesterol and insulin levels, in participants to determine how short-term diet changes affect biological aging.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“While chronological age increases uniformly, biological aging varies between individuals, reflecting differences in health status and the body’s resilience,” a University of Sydney report on the study’s findings said.
Biomarker profiles “are often considered a better indicator of overall health and potential longevity than chronological age,” according to the report.
Older adults who ate diets rich in complex carbohydrates and plant-based food reduced their biological age, scientists found. (iStock/Getty Images)
The scientists found that, after four weeks, participants’ biological ages in three of the four diet groups dropped. Only the high-fat omnivorous dieters’ biological ages “showed no meaningful change.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
The study, “Short-Term Dietary Intervention Alters Physiological Profiles Relevant to Ageing,” published in Aging Cell, concluded that the most pronounced improvements came from “diets rich in complex carbohydrates and plant-based components.”
Participants who consumed an omnivorous diet high in fat did not see changes in their biological ages, though all other types of diets reduced theirs in a University of Sydney study. (iStock/Getty Images)
The research team cautioned that these results are preliminary and may represent only short-term effects.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“It’s too soon to say definitively that specific changes to diet will extend your life,” said Caitlin Andrews, who led the study. “But this research offers an early indication of the potential benefits of dietary changes later in life.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
new video loaded: How Profit-Seeking Autism Clinics Can Harm Kids
By Sarah Kliff, Margot Sanger-Katz, Erin Schaff, Paul Abowd, Jon Miller and Whitney Shefte
May 23, 2026
-
New York5 minutes agoTrump Administration Chips Away at Last Traces of Broad Inquiry Into Jan. 6
-
Los Angeles, Ca11 minutes agoLos Angeles County Sheriff’s detective dies after lengthy illness
-
Detroit, MI35 minutes agoMetro Detroit veterans charity pleads for end to donation bin vandalism across metro area
-
San Francisco, CA47 minutes agoPerson stabbed at SF Carnaval festival, in critical condition
-
Dallas, TX53 minutes agoLouisville Kings beat Dallas Renegades, control UFL playoff destiny
-
Miami, FL59 minutes agoLionel Messi subbed off early in Miami win over Philadelphia
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoBoston firefighters mourn Robert Kilduff’s line-of-duty death: “He is irreplaceable”
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoAvalanche – Golden Knights Game 3: Live updates, analysis, highlights
