Ranchers and herds in Hawaii will be facing an especially tricky year navigating bovine tuberculosis, otherwise known as Mycobacterium bovis.
This type of tuberculosis not only endangers herds of cattle but can also be spread to humans through unpasteurized milk or dairy products, according to Wikipedia.
Gov. David Ige's office confirmed in a Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) release that a cow, which is part of a herd on Moloka'i, tested positive for the bovine disease. Any cows that may have been exposed will receive testing to prevent the spreading of the disease.
“While the detection of bovine tuberculosis has only been confirmed in one animal to date, it is the foremost priority for the department to isolate and control this disease before it can spread to other cattle herds on the island," Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, chairperson of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture, said in HDOA release. "Of all people, Moloka'i ranchers understand the importance of containing this disease, and we appreciate their continued cooperation and assistance.”
For cattle, the result of an infection is death. In humans, nine months of treatment is required in order to navigate an infection of this disease, according to Wikipedia. The treatment involves isoniazid and rifampicin in order to overcome this form of tuberculosis.
Though bovine tuberculosis presents a clear threat, it is not a new occurrence for cattle ranchers.
In 2018, as many as 142,000 cases of zoonotic tuberculosis were reported worldwide, ravaging herds and posing new dangers to the people who tend them, according to Wikipedia. Around 12,500 deaths occurred worldwide from the disease in that year, according to the Global Tuberculosis Report.
The Hawaii state government has been proactive in addressing the issue. The Board of Agriculture is looking to past years as guidance, such as a 9,000-cattle depopulation that took place in 1985, which resulted in a "bovine tuberculosis-free" status from the U.S. Department of Agriculture eight years later in 1993.
Another infection was recorded in 1997 but was much more short-lived, according to the HDOA release. The state was given tuberculosis-free status a year later in 1998.