New Delhi, Aug. 6 -- Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 can spread through the air in milking parlours, the exhaled breath of cows and contaminated wastewater, researchers have found.

The findings, published on the preprint server bioRxiv by scientists from Emory University, suggest that airborne and waterborne transmission could be key routes for the virus on dairy farms.

The clade 2.3.4.4b B3.13 strain of H5N1 was first detected in dairy cattle in California in March 2024 and has since spread to 17 US states, affecting more than 1,000 herds. According to the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 1,078 cases have been confirmed, with 771 in California alone.

While direct contact with con...