Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bird Flu Cases Among Dairy Workers Flew Under The Radar, Study Finds
Seven percent of tested workers on dairy farms where cows were infected with bird flu caught the virus themselves, according to a new study. The study proved that more workers were catching bird flu after contact with infected animals than the numbers reflected in official counts, something veterinarians working these farms had warned about since the outbreak began in March. The research was led by disease detectives at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in partnership with state health departments in Colorado and Michigan. It was published Thursday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Goodman, 11/7)
Federal health officials on Thursday called for more testing of employees on farms with bird flu after a new study showed that some dairy workers had signs of infection, even when they didn’t report feeling sick. Farmworkers in close contact with infected animals should be tested and offered treatment even if they show no symptoms, said Dr. Nirav Shah, principal director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Aleccia, 11/7)
In covid updates —
A federal judge approved a class-action settlement between Ascension and a group of employees to resolve claims that workers were allegedly denied religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Employees filed suit against Ascension Michigan — part of St. Louis-based Ascension — and several affiliates in July 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, claiming some workers were allegedly put on an unpaid leave of absence the previous year. (DeSilva, 11/7)
Involving a new research tool named FlowBEAT, a study in Science Translational Medicine links self-targeting antibodies in the airways and nose to milder cases of COVID-19 and more efficient recovery in patients, which means a nasal swab could help predict disease severity. (Soucheray, 11/7)
Also —
Dr. Diane E. Griffin, a noted virologist and former chairwoman of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, died Monday of heart failure at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. The Cockeysville resident was 84. (11/8)
