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Bird Flu Outbreak in US, Eight Cases Reported, CDC Monitoring Situation https://lnkd.in/d85jn7_b US officials reported four new cases of bird flu on Monday, bringing the total to eight. All four infected individuals are farm workers at the same poultry farm, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.This latest news comes during a troubling outbreak of the virus among cattle, which has also resulted in human infections. Another case is suspected but still needs confirmation.The CDC reassured that the risk to the general American population remains low. The infected workers experienced symptoms such as conjunctivitis and flu-like illness.An outbreak of bird flu was first detected in the US in spring. A notable aspect of this outbreak is its spread to cattle, initially affecting poultry and birds. The first case of human infection via cattle was reported on April 1 in Texas. Two more cases followed in Michigan, and in early July, another case emerged in Colorado.Colorado is now witnessing the virus spreading among both livestock and poultry. Experts are worried about the increasing number of mammals contracting the disease, although human cases are still rare. There is concern that a high rate of transmission...

The bird flu virus, H5N1, has now spread among several different mammalian species, including poultry, cattle, marine animals--and to humans. When the virus infects cattle, it causes abrupt decreases in milk production. It has spread to 32 herds in 5 states. "In cows sickened by H5N1, milk production drops sharply, and the milk becomes viscous and yellowish. “We’ve never seen something like this before,” said Dr. Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory," according to this NYT article. Is surveillance testing happening in pigs--a notorious spreader of this kind of virus? In humans? The USDA says it isn't testing pigs--but many public health experts feel it would be appropriate to do so. Reassurances about lack of transmission (without the sharing of any data and specifically, viral sequences) seems somehow reminiscent of the early days of the COVID pandemic. False reassurances are not reassuring. Update: FDA now says that 20% of the commercial dairy products it tested are positive for this virus. This update is concerning, because the receptor for this virus is avidly expressed in the human gut--i.e. humans are easily infected with this virus via the GI tract. Past time to be doing surveillance and active testing in humans. As of this writing, testing for this virus can only be carried out by state public health labs. That sounds an awful lot like what was happening at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. #publichealthmatters #H5N1 #birdflu #pandemic

In the ongoing H5N1 bird flu outbreak, agricultural producers such as poultry, dairy, and livestock farmers are at higher risk of infection. Our partners at the Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) have developed a new guide to help employers protect their workers, their businesses, and the people in their communities from H5N1 bird flu, with advice about: — Transmission — Symptoms — Proper PPE — Communications — and Financial Assistance Access your free copy of "What to know and do about H5N1 Bird Flu," and learn more about the disease and its health risks here: https://lnkd.in/gRKw7taA

The recent CDC report on bird flu reveals 10 human cases associated with U.S. poultry and dairy cow workers in 2024. The findings indicate no asymptomatic infections among farmworkers sampled in Michigan, and the virus shows no increased health risk or antiviral resistance. However, the ongoing spread among livestock (168 infected dairy herds across 13 states) signals ongoing vigilance is needed. In my experience, the synergy between health research and practical safety measures is crucial to mitigating such outbreaks. How do you think we can improve health communication in agricultural settings? Here are some stats from the latest report: - 10 human cases since April 2024 - 168 infected dairy cow herds in 13 states - Colorado has the most cases: 46 infected herds and 6 human cases Let's discuss steps to ensure better preparedness and safety for agricultural workers. #HealthSafety #Agriculture #PublicHealth #BirdFlu #CDCReport

On Monday, March 25th the US Department has been reported in ruminants. How do cows get the disease? of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Sporadic outbreaks of HPAI have occurred in Administration (FDA), and Center for Disease commercial poultry operations throughout the Control (CDC) issued a statement confirming the country during the last year, including in Ohio. identification of Highly Pathogenic Avian Migrating waterfowl are the reservoirs of the Influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle located in Texas disease and are believed to be the source of the and Kansas. They have suspected that HPAI may infections in this instance per the USDA. This be a contributing factor in the unclassified illness disease can be devastating to the poultry industry, affecting older, mid to late lactation dairy cattle in causing high levels of mortality; however, this does several herds in New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas not seem to be the case in dairy cattle where the over the past two months. It is not yet clear if all disease tends to have the following signs: reports of the unclassified illness are caused by HPAI.

#Highly_Pathogenic_Avain_Influenza_in_USA_Dairy_Sector 🐄🐄 📌 Virus (H5N1 strain) introduced by Wild Birds in #Texas and #Kansas dairy cattles 📌 Infection rate is 10 percent in mid to late lactation mature cows 📌 10-20% production losses for 14-21 days 📌 Dry Pregnant Cows, Fresh Cows, Heifers and Calves don't affected with HPAI at this moment #Symptoms_in_cattle 📌 It lasts between 10 and 14 days (first 3-5 days are worst) 📌 Sudden drop in milk production (severe cases shows #colostrum like milk) 📌 Less feed intake and Rumination 📌 Most cases have hard, dehydrated feces (small no shows diarrhea) 📌 Sec. Bacterial Infection e.g pneumonia and mastitis 🦠🦠 #Biosecurity_Measures 📌 Limited access of #poultry and #livestock species to #stagnant_water source, #ponds where wild birds are drinking or available 📌 Monitor the animals for any illness and Isolation of sick animals from other herd 📌 Make sure the distance of Poultry Housing from Livestock Farms 📌 Minimum access of poultry to pasture area where livestock animals are grazed 🚨🚨 📌 Vehicle inspection in Pasture system, if transported from the infected area 📌 No vaccine available for influenza virus in cattle #Note (Para-influenza Virus Vaccine PI-3 isn't effective or protects against influenza virus in cattle) #dairyfarmingofamerica 🇺🇸🇺🇸 #influenzavirus #FDA #CDC #USDA #dairyalerts 🚨

The 3rd case that we know of. How often these zoonotic transmissions are happening and how widespread the #H5N1 outbreak is in livestock herds in the US are critical questions we don't have answers to. We can't find what we do not test for. #avianflu #outbreaks https://lnkd.in/eiaSDE6Q

The risk of a bird flu pandemic is rising https://ift.tt/PFQRIOg This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. How worried should we be about bird flu? It’s a question that I’ve been asked by friends and colleagues several times over the last couple of weeks. Their concerns have been spurred by some potentially worrisome developments in the US, including the continued spread of the virus among dairy cattle, the detection of the virus in a pig as well as cow’s milk, and—most concerning of all—the growing number of human infections. I’ll admit that I’m worried. We don’t yet have any evidence that the virus is spreading between people, but the risk of a potential pandemic has increased since I last covered this topic a couple of months ago. And once you combine that increased risk with an upcoming change in presidential administration that might leave US health agencies in the hands of a vaccine denier who promotes the consumption of raw milk, well … it’s not exactly a comforting thought. The good news is we are in a much better position to tackle any potential future flu outbreaks than we were to face covid-19 back in 2020, given that we already have vaccines. But, on the whole, it’s not looking great. The bird flu that is currently spreading in US dairy cattle is caused by the H5N1 virus. The virus is especially lethal to some bird populations and has been wiping out poultry and seabirds for the last couple of years. It has also caused fatal infections in many mammals who came into contact with those birds. H5N1 was first detected in a dairy cow in Texas in March of this year. As of this week, the virus has been reported in 675 herds across 15 states, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (also known as APHIS). Those are just the cases we know about. There may be more. The USDA requires testing of cattle before they are moved between states. And it offers a voluntary testing program for farmers who want to know if the virus is present in their bulk milk tanks. But participation in that program is optional. States have their own rules. Colorado has required testing of bulk milk tanks in licensed dairy farms since July. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced plans for a program just last week. But some states have no such requirements. At the end of October, the USDA reported that the virus had been detected in a pig for the first time. The pig was one of five in a farm in Oregon that had “a mix of poultry and livestock.” All the pigs were slaughtered. Virologists have been especially worried about the virus making its way into pigs, because these animals are notorious viral incubators. “They can become infected with swine strains, bird strains and human strains,” says Brinkley Bellotti, an infectious disease epidemiologist at...

For all the misery with dairy cattle, human cases, and likely future poultry outbreaks in California, the state also has extensive feral and outdoor swine populations. Given the reassortment risks in swine, we cannot afford to neglect thorough surveillance of these populations through the most labor and cost-efficient methods possible. Can we short-circuit denial and resource constraints to make credible detection efforts?

Current numbers of human H5N1 cases in the US (3rd October 2024):- "16 human cases of H5 have been reported in the United States during 2024, bringing the total to 17 cases since 2022. Cases during 2024 have been reported in Texas (1), Michigan (2), Colorado (10), Missouri (1) and California (2). Six of the 16 reported human cases have been linked to exposure to sick or infected dairy cows. Nine cases had exposure to infected poultry. The source of infection for the one case in Missouri has not been determined. Serologic testing of contacts of the case in Missouri is ongoing." Taken from :- CDC Confirms New Human Cases of H5 Bird Flu in California. https://lnkd.in/epYPw4wU