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The number of bird flu infections among Colorado poultry workers increased to nine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters Tuesday, for a total of 14 cases nationwide from exposure to poultry and dairy cattle since 2022. The cases in Colorado come out of two farms located in Weld County, which is northeast of the Denver metro area. The workers experienced mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis. The CDC assessment of the risk to the public remains low, but poultry workers tasked with culling infected birds are at a heightened risk of infection. (Bridges, 7/30)

A top official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced a $5 million plan to offer seasonal flu vaccine to livestock workers, mostly to protect their health but also to reduce the chance of human flu viruses mixing with H5N1 avian flu viruses, which would pose a new pandemic flu threat. The announcement follows a recent flurry of H5 avian flu infections in Colorado poultry cullers and sporadic infections in workers exposed to dairy cows infected with H5N1 and comes ahead of the upcoming flu season.  (Schnirring, 7/30)

Health officials believe the seasonal flu vaccine is better suited to prevent a bird flu pandemic right now than a dedicated H5N1 vaccine would be, though the first doses of a bird flu-specific vaccine rolled off an assembly line in North Carolina last week. The bird flu virus hasn’t caused severe disease in any of the workers, hasn't been transmitted without symptoms and hasn't developed the ability to jump from person to person, said Shah, of CDC. (Cuevas, 7/30)