A dairy herd in Nebraska has tested positive for the H5N1 virus, state and federal officials announced.
This is the first known case of H5N1 in dairy cattle in Nebraska. With this detection, the U.S. has now had 17 states where cattle have tested positive for the virus, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA), in a press release, stated that the herd is in the central part of the state, and it has been quarantined.
APHIS and NDA are working together to conduct additional on-farm investigation, testing, and gathering of additional epidemiological information to better understand this detection and limit further disease spread.
“The National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed that the strain of the virus is very similar to a strain from California. With supportive care, dairy cattle recover with little to no mortality associated with the disease.
Nebraska State Veterinarian Dr. Roger Dudley encourages Nebraska dairy producers to follow strict biosecurity protocols and to contact their veterinarian immediately if their animals are exhibiting any symptoms of the virus.
While this is the first case of H5N1 to be confirmed in a commercial dairy herd in Nebraska, commercial poultry flocks in the state had been affected by the virus in previous years. In 2024, one commercial flock each in Johnson, Nemaha and Gage counties were struck by H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
In 2022, commercial poultry flocks in Dixon, Knox and Butler Counties tested positive for HPAI. Two commercial upland gamebird flocks in York County also were affected by HPAI in the state that year.
While no commercial poultry flock infections have been confirmed in Nebraska in 2025, there has been a recent surge in HPAI cases in commercial turkey flocks in neighboring South Dakota. Since late August, six flocks in South Dakota have been affected.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.
