Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Dairy Farms Are Slow To Dole Out PPE To Its Workers As Bird Flu Spreads
Many U.S. dairy farms have not yet increased health protections against bird flu for employees during an outbreak in cows, according to workers, activists and farmers, worrying health experts about the risk for more human infections of a virus with pandemic potential. Epidemiologists are concerned the virus could potentially spread and cause serious illnesses as farmers downplay the risk to workers while employees are not widely aware of cases in U.S. cattle. (Polansek and Schlitz, 5/23)
After hearing from state partners and the dairy industry, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today聽announced more support for dairy farms, which now includes those that haven't been affected by H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in cattle. Also today, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)聽reported two more outbreaks in Idaho dairy herds, as well as four that were initially reported by Michigan, raising the national total to 58 farms across nine states. (Schnirring, 5/23)
The H5N1 avian influenza virus infecting dairy cows can persist and remain infectious in unpasteurized milk on milking equipment surfaces for a long period, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Emory University reported yesterday in a聽preprint study. (Schnirring, 5/23)
It was bound to happen again. For the second time in two months, the United States has confirmed a case of bird flu in a dairy worker employed by a farm with H5N1-infected cows. 鈥淭he only thing I鈥檓 surprised about is that it鈥檚 taken this long to get another confirmed case,鈥 said Steve Valeika, a veterinarian and an epidemiologist based in North Carolina. The true case count is almost certainly higher. (Wu, 5/23)
In related news 鈥
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that public health officials are investigating multi-state outbreaks of salmonella linked to contact with backyard poultry. The CDC said that 109 people from 29 states have gotten sick from salmonella after touching or caring for backyard poultry such as chickens and ducks. The states with the highest number of cases are Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma. (5/23)
