Only cattle traveling across state lines are currently subject to obligatory testing.
Pigs have also occasionally been reported to have contracted the flu, which has alarmed experts because pigs may contract both human and bird flu viruses and may be “mixing vessels” for a novel strain of the bird flu virus.
Additionally, since May 2022, infections have been found in over 400 wild animals that are not birds in the United States, including raccoons, seals, skunks, and red foxes.
According to experts, these animals may contract the virus by consuming the carcasses of birds that had contracted the bird flu.
In 60 of the more than 250 locations tracked nationwide, wastewater surveillance for the virus has also detected evidence of it.
