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[00:00.43] Worobey said the virus likely spreads among the cows due to contact with milking machines, trucks or the shoes of farm workers.

[00:12.91] It then moves from cow to cow before making its way back to birds. Worobey said birds tested on the same farms as sick cows have a form of the virus with “clear mammalian adaptations.”

[00:30.98] In other words, the virus shows signs of changing before infecting the bird populations.

[00:38.94] Scientists say the best way to keep the virus from spreading to more cows, and possibly humans, is to test cows as often as possible and follow their movements.

[00:54.08] Thomas Friedrich is a virology expert at the University of Wisconsin’s animal medical school.

[01:03.12] “We need to be able to do greater surveillance so that we know what’s going on.”

[01:11.62] Worobey said testing for active virus is one thing.

[01:16.13] But the tests must also look for antibodies, or evidence of past infections.

[01:23.83] “That is a really accessible and quick way to find out how widespread this is,” he said.

[01:33.13] Scientists are working to be sure that heating up the milk before it is put into containers for humans to drink is enough to kill the virus. The process is called pasteurization.

[01:48.81] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have more information about that soon.

[01:57.83] Right now, the FDA recommends humans to avoid raw or unpasteurized milk.

[02:03.94] Farm workers are also being told to wear masks, wash their hands and change their work clothes often, Aliota said.

[02:14.04] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 23 people have been tested for the virus so far.

[02:23.07] One person has tested positive for a mild eye infection.

[02:27.85] CDC officials are watching for signs of sickness in 44 other people who were in contact with infected animals.

[02:39.27] David O’Connor is a virus expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

[02:41.93] He said that knowing about the virus should not make humans “change anything about how (they) live their daily lives.”

[02:49.90] But he said humans should have “increased awareness that something is happening.”