Helen Branswell covers issues broadly related to infectious diseases, including outbreaks, preparedness, research, and vaccine development. Follow her on Mastodon and Bluesky. You can reach Helen on ...

There are roughly 1,300 dairy farms in California and 1.7 million dairy cows. Between 275,000 and 300,000 cattle per year are imported into California. Export numbers are similar. Experts say it was ...

93 California dairy herds have tested positive for the H5N1 virus as of Oct. 9. California has roughly 1,100 herds and 1.7 million cows. It accounts for 20% of the milk produced in the country. As a ...

As a rapidly increasing number of California dairy farms suffer outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu, industry experts say it remains unclear just how the disease may affect the nation's milk supply or pricing.