Op-Ed: Good biosecurity is the key to mitigating the spread of H5N1 Improved biosecurity indicated to limit the spread of H5N1US Secretary of Agriculture Tom VilsackEditor's note: The following is an Op-ed by the US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. The more we learn about H5N1, the more we understand that good biosecurity is a critically important path to containing the virus. This past winter a group of migrating wild birds infected with H5N1 transferred the virus to dairy cattle somewhere in the Texas panhandle region – this was the first reported case in dairy cattle. Dairy cows that get H5N1 often have a sudden drop in milk production, go off feed, and generally do not feel well. These findings indicate that improved biosecurity is the key to limiting the spread of H5N1 to keep animals, workers, and farm operations safe.