Category: Flu Virus

Bird flu

Agency principal deputy director wants more testing of farm workers who work in proximity to affected animals

Fri 14 Jun 2024 07.00 EDT

There is not enough testing for bird flu among people and animals in the US, says Dr Nirav Shah, principal deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but he is wary of pushing the issue and damaging fragile trust among farm workers and owners.

We would like to be doing more tests, Shah said. Wed like to be testing particularly not just symptomatic workers, but anyone on a farm who is exposed.

But, Shah said, right now we want to be in a role where were building trust with farms and farm workers.

For the general public, the risk is still low, the CDC says. But the risks are elevated for agricultural workers in close contact with animals and potentially the people around them.

The CDC is preparing for the possibility that the virus could evolve to spread more easily among people, according to a report published on Wednesday.

Shah encouraged the use of personal protective equipment, but stopped short at promising shots for farm workers, who are now the most at risk for getting and spreading H5N1, a highly pathogenic bird flu.

US officials announced last week that a third person tested positive a farm worker in Michigan who worked closely with sick cows.

Unlike the previous two cases, where conjunctivitis (or pink eye) was the only symptom, this patient experienced respiratory symptoms typical for the flu a cough, congestion, sore throat and watery eyes.

Shah was quick to point out these symptoms dont mean the virus is changing. Symptoms like these have been common in the 888 people who have tested positive for H5N1 since 2003.

This virus, like many viruses, can present in more than one way. And for that reason, we should remain alert, not alarmed, he said.

But having respiratory symptoms means the individual has more opportunities to pass the virus on to other people, he said, making monitoring and testing even more important than before.

Yet only 44 people have been tested in 2024, according to the CDC.

While officials believe there are probably cases flying under the radar due to the lack of testing, they are closely analyzing data from influenza monitoring systems, and no red flags have been observed yet. We have not detected any differences in markers, like emergency room visits, in areas with affected herds compared to areas without affected herds, Shah said.

Our influenza infrastructure is strong, and its notable to discuss the ways in which it differs from our Covid infrastructure, he said. There are tests available throughout the country, there is a good vaccine candidate for this strain currently being manufactured and the virus monitoring system is already well established.

That said, wed love to be doing more, he continued.

Some states are now testing the blood of dairy farm workers to see how many people have antibodies against H5N1, which would give scientists a better idea of how much the virus is circulating. Weve done these studies in poultry [workers] over the years. Wed like to replicate them now in dairy farm workers, Shah said.

Officials have also expanded the ways people can be tested for H5N1, including eye swabs in test kits to check for conjunctivitis. These eye swabs may now be tested at local labs instead of being sent to the CDC.

Now we dont wait until these tests are confirmed [by the CDC] before public health action is taken, Shah said.

H5N1 continues spreading among farms, including poultry operations, with 4.2 million egg-laying chickens killed on a farm in Iowa after the virus was detected.

In Idaho, alpacas tested positive on 16 May after an outbreak among poultry on the same farm a sign that the highly pathogenic flu may be spreading from cows to poultry to other livestock, potentially accumulating mutations.

The second person to test positive in the US bird flu outbreak this year showed a mutation that may make the virus spread more among mammals, genetic sequencing revealed.

No genomic analysis of the third case has been announced yet.

While the US Department of Agriculture announced another $824m in funding to protect livestock last week, health officials have not announced additional funds for this outbreak beyond the $101m for the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (USDA) announced in May.

Part of the USDA funding has included up to $2,000 a month to farms for providing personal protective equipment, or PPE, such as N95 respirators, face shields and goggles.

The CDC has asked states to distribute personal protective equipment to farm workers from their existing supplies as well as from the strategic national stockpile.

Thankfully, theres quite a lot of PPE available out there. Now the task is just connecting those who have PPE with those who need it, Shah said.

But officials are mindful of the inherent difficulties of wearing, for instance, an N95 mask while working on a farm from the wet nature of dairy farming to summer heat.

We want our workers to be maximally protected, while at the same time not compromising their health and safety because theyre overheating, Shah said.

US officials have ordered 4.8m doses of an H5N1 vaccine they say seems well matched to this strain. It takes several months to create flu vaccines, and new formulations like this then go through regulatory processes for authorization or approval.

Officials have shied away from saying who might be prioritized for the vaccines.

There is not right now a recommendation to vaccinate farm workers, Shah said. Of course, its under discussion. As scientists, as scientific organizations, we are always discussing what might be coming next and evaluating the pros and cons of that.

Shah highlighted the importance of community trust in public health, especially since H5N1 is an emerging disease in livestock. Poultry producers, for example, have built up relationships with officials and regulators over decades of bird flu outbreaks.

Trust is the most important tool that you have in your toolbox in an outbreak setting, Shah said.

When H5 became a phenomenon in the poultry industry, it was not overnight that poultry farm owners, operators, as well as workers were ready to work with public health entities that relationship took time to develop, Shah said. The same thing is under way here.

That means being clear about what testing does and doesnt entail, and assuring the privacy of workers, he said.

Its not something that happens overnight, but we have made progress with farms and farm owners. We want to continue that, rather than trying to overplay our hand and shatter the trust that weve created so far.

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Top CDC officials warns US needs more tests in face of bird flu fears - The Guardian

After the H5N1 avian flu virus jumped from birds to dairy cattle in Texas last December, it was spread across the country by infected cows, contaminated machinery, and people who inadvertently carried the virus on their clothes and footwear from farm to farm, said USDA scientists on Thursday. Officials said the risk to the public was low because the virus has not shown signs of adapting to humans. We should be, as we are, alert, not alarmed, said Nirav Shah, the CDCs principal deputy director.

To date, three workers on dairy farms have contracted mild cases of bird flu from infected cows, and the virus has been confirmed in 96 herds in 12 states, from Wyoming to North Carolina. Michigan has the most infected herds, 25, and Idaho has 23. Bird flu has also killed nearly 97 million birds, mostly chickens and turkeys, in domestic flocks since U.S. outbreaks began in February 2022.

Were really wanting [producers] to up their biosecurity practices, said Mark Lyons, director of the USDAs Ruminant Health Center, during a teleconference with CDC and FDA officials. Ultimately, that is the thing that gets us through. USDA veterinary epidemiologist Kammy Johnson said, Enhanced biosecurity is really crucial.

Two USDA reports pointed to multiple pathways for spread of the disease among cattle, people, and equipment. Cows from infected herds were moved between farms after symptoms appeared. Farms shared equipment, including cattle trailers. Veterinarians, milk haulers, feed trucks, and contractors stopped frequently at dairy farms. A portion of dairy farm employees work at more than one farm, and they often have family members who work at other livestock farms. One of the reports was based on questionnaires given to farmers with infected herds. The other described a USDA investigation of the spread of H5N1 on Michigan dairy and poultry farms.

Genomic sequencing indicated that migratory waterfowl, often blamed for carrying the virus, were not a factor in its spread among dairy cattle.

Phylogenic analysis and epidemiology support a single introduction into this novel host followed by onward transmission, said one of the reports. The other said, Transmission between farms is likely due to indirect epidemiological links related to normal business operations such as numerous people, vehicles, and other conveyances moving on and off the affected dairy premises, with many of these indirect links shared between premises.

The appearance of the avian flu virus in cattle raised the possibility that it would mutate into something much different, said Shah, so it was important to quell the virus at its source. Samples from the most recent case of bird flu among farmworkers showed the virus remained avian, he said. We did not see any sign it was more able to transmit to people.

Eleven of the 94 farms with infected herds have applied for USDA financial assistance, said Lyons. Up to $28,000 is available per farm over three months. Lyons said 20 states were considering enrollment in a voluntary USDA program to test milk for the H5N1 virus.

Mortality and culling is 2% or less on average among cows with bird flu, and fewer than 10% of cows in infected herds become ill, said the USDA, based on responses to the farmer questionnaires. Older cows are more likely to become ill, with fever, reduced appetite, and a decline in milk production as the most common symptoms. The animals recover after a couple of weeks, officials say, although there have been reports of symptoms lasting longer.

The USDA reports areavailable here.

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H5N1 virus was spread by cattle, people, and shared equipment - Successful Farming

FILE - Cows are seen at a dairy in California, Nov. 23, 2016. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday, April 23, 2024, that samples of pasteurized milk had tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

IOWA Two more dairy herds in northwest Iowa have tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, commonly known as bird flu, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said on Friday.

According to the department, one of the herds is in Plymouth County and the other is in Sioux County. Since the start of June, there have been five cases of bird flu in dairy herds, with three of those cases being in Sioux County.

For more information about bird flu and the symptoms, enhanced safety measures, and other resources just visit the departments website.

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2 more dairy herds test positive for bird flu in Iowa - WHO TV 13 Des Moines News & Weather

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A new "dual mutant" strain of H1N1 influenza could pose a threat in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Details about the two strains, I223V and S247N, were published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, which is published by the CDC.

At least two cases of the flu mutations have been confirmed in humans in the U.S., the agency announced on Wednesday.

COVID-FLU COMBO VACCINE SHOWS POSITIVE RESULTS IN PHASE 3 TRIALS, MODERNA SAYS: A 'TWO-FOR' OPTION

The researchers identified a total of 101 samples of the "dual mutant" virus.

The concern is that these strains of flu have shown to be resistant to the antiviral medications that are typically used to treat the virus notably Tamiflu (oseltamivir), the common flu medication from Switzerland-based Roche.

A new "dual mutant" strain of H1N1 influenza could pose a threat in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (iStock)

"The dual mutants that we tested retained susceptibility to other approved influenza antiviral drugs, including baloxavir," the researchers wrote in the study findings.

CDC, WEBMD GIVE UPDATE ON CURRENT BIRD FLU OUTBREAK: BE ALERT, NOT ALARMED

"Our study highlights the need to closely monitor the evolution of dual mutants, because additional changes may further affect susceptibility to antiviral drugs or provide a competitive advantage over circulating wild-type viruses."

The strains have been detected in 15 countries across five continents, but are mostly prevalent in Europe, the study found.

"The dual mutants that we tested retained susceptibility to other approved influenza antiviral drugs, including baloxavir," the researchers wrote. (iStock)

The researchers determined that the mutations have been circulating globally since May 2023.

I223V and S247N were first tested by Hong Kong scientists, who published their findings in The Lancet Microbe in March 2024.

Those researchers also found that the mutant strains lessened the effectiveness of Tamiflu.

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Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, said it is "highly unusual" to see an influenza A strain (H1N1, which is a distant cousin of the Spanish flu, he noted) spreading throughout southern U.S. states at this time of year.

People who contract the flu can take antiviral medications to ease symptoms, the CDC stated, which is most important for high-risk patients. (iStock)

"Flu season is usually over by March," Siegel told Fox News Digital. "Flu doesn't spread as easily in hot, humid weather."

He added, "This mutation worries me because the use of Tamiflu especially in high-risk groups and the elderly is really helpful at decreasing severity, and it looks like the reaction to it is less."

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The doctor said he would still recommend using the drug, however, because it has some impact "or consider other anti-flu drugs."

Siegel also advised a vaccine booster for the elderly or those in high-risk groups.

The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older receives an annual vaccine during heightened flu spread. (iStock)

So far this season, the CDC estimates that there have been at least 35 million illnesses, 390,000 hospitalizations and 24,000 deaths from the flu, as published on the agencys website.

The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older receives an annual vaccine during heightened flu spread.

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People who contract the flu can take antiviral medications to ease symptoms, the CDC stated, which is most important for high-risk patients.

Fox News Digital reached out to Roche and to the CDC for additional comment.

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CDC warns of dual mutant flu strain that could evade antiviral drugs: Need to closely monitor - Fox News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that a rare strain of the flu virus that is resistant to antiviral treatments has been identified in the United States.

The new strain has two distinct mutations that make it resistant to oseltamivir phosphate, which is sold under the brand Tamiflu.

The "dual mutant" virus was identified in two patients in the United States. It was also found in 14 other countries across five continents.

"There's active global surveillance going on looking for these mutations," Dr. Andy Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told CNN. "We want to know when they come up, because that could really have major implications for how we treat influenza."

The drug-resistant strain of the flu virus is still rare, and health officials haven't raised the alarm yet.

"They appear in a lot of places, but they're never really the dominant virus in any place they appear," Pekosz added. "It's not like the mutation occurred someplace, and suddenly that particular virus began spreading and out-competing everything in one big wave."

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Rare Drug-Resistant Flu Variant Identified In The U.S., CDC Warns | 700WLW - iHeart

Bird flu has been found in more than 80 dairy herds

In a matter of days, the number of states with dairy herds testing positive for bird flu has grown from nine to 12. The Wyoming Department of Agriculture (WDA) confirmed the presence of the virus in dairy cattle in the Equality State on June 7.

Other states reporting outbreaks in the last week include Minnesota on June 6 and Iowa on June 5. To date, ramped-up testing has confirmed the presence of bird flu in more than 80 dairy herds throughout the country, according to the CDC.

Since late March, the virus has been detected in herds in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas. Three dairy workers, one in Texas and two in Michigan have tested positive for the H5N1 virus but have since recovered.

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Dairy cattle test positive for bird flu in Minnesota, Iowa and Wyoming for first time - http://www.thecattlesite.com

At first glance, some of the expert reactions to the recent surge in bird flu virus cases, both in the U.S. and around the world, may appear contradictory. Isnt a more urgent response required? How much livestock will be sacrificed? Is the risk to humans really so low that only moderate actions are called for?

In truth, though, most of the basics are no longer in question among epidemiologists. This H5N1 virus is certainly spreading. Thousands of outbreaks have been documented in wild and farmed bird populations across all continents, spilling over into mammal populations. In the U.S. alone, bird flu has resulted in the death of more than 96 million birds in commercial and backyard flocks since February 2022, according to a USDA database.

Since 1997, sporadic H5N1 infections have been reported in humans in 24 countries, though relatively few cases were reported in recent years. After only one case in the U.S. in the previous 25 years, three farmworkers here have become infected over the past two months.

So where do we go from here? That depends significantly, the experts say, on whether governments and those involved are willing to conduct enough testing and surveillance to know where things really stand, and whether the results of that testing will be timely and transparent.

I would like to see very widespread serologic testing done in humansthe farm workers, their family members, contacts, says epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. (Serologic testing looks for antibodies in the blood.) That way, we can see if weve had more transmission in humans that weve missed. We dont have that right now.

There are just so many things we dont know, and its the unknowns that concern us more than what we know so far, says Rick Bright, a virologist, pandemic expert, and former head of the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

Without question, researchers say, the H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu or avian influenza, is surging among mammals and proving itself very versatile at jumping from species to species. That includes the recent surprising spread to dairy cattle in the U.S. since March, the first such instance on record.

The virus has now been confirmed in cows in more than 85 herds with as many as 12 states affected. This geographic spread, along with high levels of exposure by workers at farms, slaughterhouses, milk processing facilities, and milk itself, is part of what has experts concerned that the virus will be found in more people. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has warned against drinking unpasteurized raw milk, which the CDC says may contain the H5N1 virus.

The virus has proven its versatility to infect about any mammal it comes in contact with, says Bright.

A recent H5N1 outbreak at a commercial egg farm in Iowa led to 4.2 million chickens being destroyed in order to prevent further spread. Multiple types of mammals have been infected, including domestic cats and dogs, red foxes, raccoons, bears, bobcats, and alpacas. Meanwhile, the presence of the H5N1 virus in house mice brings the virus literally closer to home, as rodents can be effective carriers.

When you have a birdflu virus infecting mammal species, that raises the question of the virus becoming more adaptive for mammalian transmission, says Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. There are distinct barriers that bird flu viruses face when theyre infecting mammals in terms of which receptors they use. So that has raised the stakes.

Whether that spread ultimately involves humans on a large scale is one of the unknowns. Among the three people who have been diagnosed in the U.S. since April, the most recent, a farm worker in Michigan, was the first from the current outbreak to exhibit mild upper respiratory symptoms.

The respiratory piece concerns health experts because someone with H5N1 virus in their airways could be more likely to spread the virus, perhaps via cough. To date, theres been no evidence of human-to-human transmission of H5N1 virus, and the CDC says the current health risk to the general public is low. But as CDC Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah noted at a Council on Foreign Relations event in May, The risk here of something going from one or two sporadic [human] cases to becoming something of international concern (is) not insignificant.

Though infections in the three individuals with the current strain of H5N1 virus have been mild, the overall death rate in humans from H5N1 infections since it was first identified in the late 1990s is more than 50% among the more than 900 confirmed cases worldwide. And this H5N1 strain has caused some alarming effects in animals.

Cats on a Texas farm died after drinking raw milk from bird-flu-infected cows, and test results showed high amounts of virus present in two felines brains and lungs who were tested. Its interesting that weve seen a lot of multi-organ involvement, brain involvement, major organ involvement that has been really remarkable causing the death of many of these different animal species. And we dont understand that yet, says Osterholm.

Reuters recently reported that dairy cows in five states have died or been slaughtered because they did not recover from their infections, though the USDA says the majority of cows do recover. Should infection among cattle become more widespread, the potential cost to American farms is astronomical, as cows cost much more than chickens or turkeys to raiseironically, one reason farmers may be reluctant to test them.

What were seeing right now in dairy cattle is just another situation where the potential for that virus to change is, I think, surely increased, Osterholm says. The rise in severe illness among many of the species whove been infected by H5N1 is concerning, he notes, partly because it isnt clear exactly why that has happened. Ifyou look at genetic sequences andlook whatthe virus has done, we cant explain that any one mutation has caused this to happen.

The CDC recently confirmed the lethality of the H5N1 virus, isolated from a human infection in Texas, in ferrets that were experimentally infected with the same virus. All of those ferrets died, and Bright says scientists found evidence that the virus had infected multiple internal organs such as the heart, lungs, and kidneys, and was also found in the brain and the blood. The CDC said the findings underscore the potential for serious illness in people.

Osterholm and others are advocating for increased urgency on the testing front. This is a multifaceted ask; it includes more widespread and continuous testing of farm animals, workers, and their close contactsand in the case of dairy herds, ongoing testing of the milk supply and any meat that is directed to the food supply for human or animal consumption.

Its important to also test the farm environment, including equipment, transport vehicles, milking machines, and water systems that may be contaminated by disposal of infected milk. Raw milk from cows infected with bird flu has been found to contain astounding amounts of viral particles, according to a non-peer-reviewed study. (The FDA says our commercial supply of pasteurized milk remains safe to drink.)

Serology testing, which Bright says has been essentially nonexistent, could help researchers better understand the true extent of H5N1s spread, which in turn would enable more effective containment strategies. But in the U.S., where there is no single controlling agency or government body coordinating the effort, the result has been patchwork and uneven.

Were not stopping it, says Bright. Were not doing anything to keep that infected milk and infectious milk on the farm. Were not testing these cows before theyre put back onto the milking line or sent to slaughterWere just sort of letting it go and spreading it in a very naive way.

At almost every turn, there are complications. Absent a federal mandate, most of the testing being done is voluntary. A USDA spokesman told me the agency provides voluntary testing and monitoring options, and has a program that reimburses dairy producers for collecting samples. But, Bright says, we are finding that many farms dont want to test because they are afraid that theyll be shut down or suffer a significant economic loss that is not yet being compensated by federal programs.

As for the workers themselves, the CDC recommends that those in contact with infected or potentially infected animals, raw milk, etc. wear personal protective equipment (PPE), but only those exposed with flu-like symptoms should be tested (again, voluntarily). Further, most farmers want to work first with their county and state health agencies, preferring not to have federal health officials on their land. As of June 7, the CDC reported that only 45 people had been tested nationwide since March.

A proactive testing and surveillance program would make rapid flu testing available at all farms, Adalja says. (Specific H5N1 tests dont yet exist.) We would be randomly testing cows all over, not just ones that appeared sick or ones that are transported from one state to another, he adds. And experts have suggested pooled testing of milk from more cows on each farm in an effort to detect infected cows that might not show outward signs of infection.

Sharing data quickly from cases of infected animals and people is critical, too, experts say. The USDA is refusing to share the sequence data from the cows and the animals in a timely manner, says Bright. They have not shared a sequence that they collected from any infected animal in the last eight weeks. And while the agency is sporadically submitting virus sequences to an international database, the data shared, Bright says, is largely from animals infected in March and early April.

Federal officials say they will have access to millions of doses of vaccine, should they be needed, as part of their strategic national stockpile. A company contracted by the U.S. government, CSL Seqirus, confirmed that it will fill roughly 4.8 million doses of pre-pandemic vaccine that is well matched to the H5 of the currently circulating H5N1 strain.

The federal, state, and local arms investigating and monitoring this strain of bird flu have very collegial, collaborative, candid, discussions, says Paul Friedrichs, the White House director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. We dont always agree, which is exactly what you expect from a complex situation, but what we always do is get to a decision and move out on it.

For now, though, the researchers are consistent in their refrain about whats needed: heightened surveillance and testing, testing, testing. It is going to adapt, Rick Bright says of H5N1. Weve watched it adapt over the years among bird species, and we know its what influenza viruses do. The time to get ahead of that evolution, experts say, is now.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs ofFortune.

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No one wants another pandemicbut bird flu has already flown the coop - Fortune

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.

Earlier this month, Laurie Stanek shoveled hay to a group of young black-and-white Holstein cows, just a few among the roughly 200 cattle on her family dairy farm. Located in northern Michigans Antrim County, she has worked there for almost 50 years now.

The farm day starts early.

Were out here at 5 oclock every morning to get started feeding the babies, she said.

But there are some additional chores for farmers in Michigan, now that avian influenza, or bird flu, has made the jump to cattle.

New state requirements include limiting the number of visitors and increasing disinfection practices like cleaning boots and vehicles. Michigan also has prohibited poultry or lactating cows from being shown at events like fairs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has required that lactating cows moving across state lines receive a negative test result on bird flu.

We are conscious that the threat is there, and we wouldnt let just anybody come in, Stanek said, referring to the state requirement to limit visitors.

With outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cattle across the country, health officials are emphasizing biosecurity that is, efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of disease.

Researchers are still working to understand how climate change is affecting the spread of the bird flu. But, as Grist has previously reported, H5N1 has spread outside its typical seasons as migratory patterns have changed. And research has shown that generally, climate change could join a host of other factors in making the transmission of viruses between species more likely something called viral spillover.

We are in a place where the threat of emerging pathogens is much greater than ever before. So therefore, the need for biosecurity is even more significant than it has ever been before, said Suresh Kuchipudi, a professor and chair of the infectious diseases and microbiology department at the University of Pittsburghs School of Public Health.

Some, like Kuchipudi, say scaling up biosecurity operations can help the agricultural sector become more resilient to climate change. But its just one part of the complicated process of responding to the spread of viruses like the bird flu.

This strain of avian influenza is called H5N1, and its highly pathogenic, meaning its deadly for poultry. First detected in the 1990s, it has surged over the last several years, spreading to birds and mammals across the world.

The spread to cattle is new.

Im a virologist by training, and my other virologist buddies and I all have to admit: None of us saw this coming, said Kim Dodd, the director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Michigan State University. Animals like foxes can contract the flu when they eat an infected carcass. But cattle dont eat meat.

We didnt expect to find [highly pathogenic] avian influenza in dairy cattle, and to find that it amplifies so well, and that we have so much virus in the milk, Dodd said. And so thats really a big part of trying to understand, you know, what do we do about that to be able to help control the outbreak.

The first confirmed case in cattle was reported in Texas earlier this year, and 11 more states have confirmed cases of the bird flu in dairy herds.

Michigan has reported the most cases in the country. As of Wednesday, the state had confirmed 25 instances of the flu in herds. It also has 2 of the 3 confirmed cases of the disease in people the other was a dairy worker in Texas.

In May, state officials declared the flu an extraordinary emergency, calling it a threat to animal health, human health, trade and the economy.

Officials and researchers have said Michigans high case count is an example of robust testing in response to the outbreak. Overall, the response to the bird flu outbreak in cattle has been somewhat rocky. States have pushed back against federal efforts to address the virus, and public health experts have raised concerns about the lack of testing and warned that the true reach is likely greater that official counts.

Those involved in Michigans response have said part of its response is collaboration with farmers. That takes two sides, said Dodd. It takes the people who are looking and the people who are testing, but it also requires that the people who own the animals are opening their doors and allowing testing to occur.

H5N1 causes a reduction in cows milk production, among other symptoms. It can devastate the poultry industry; since it was detected in commercial flocks in the United States in 2022, it has led to the deaths of close to 100 million farmed birds.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have maintained that the danger to the public is relatively low. But dairy workers are now more at risk of exposure to the bird flu as they work with cows; the virus appears to be spreading largely through milk.

We want to make sure that were limiting the further spread of the virus, so that were continuing to protect human health, and we dont have so much virus in the environment that could potentially mutate and affect humans in a different way, said Tim Boring, the director of the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

One of the ways the state is doing that is by urging farms to follow biosecurity measures. These are pretty low tech like wearing protective gear and disinfecting equipment. How effective they are comes down to compliance.

Im sure theyre serious. Im sure theyre not fooling around. Its their livelihood, their investments, said Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Montreal. But if theyre not sharing data, and theyre not doing good surveillance to figure out whos where and what and all that, we already have a big problem.

Climate change coincides with the spread of certain diseases, as animals interact with one another in new settings. While biosecurity may play a role in prevention or response, it likely wont stop the next pandemic, Vaillancourt said. He argues that we should actually be looking at disease from a regional perspective.

What can we do to minimize the spread between sites? he said. That requires data sharing.

Thats where industry and institutions often fall short. Farms that have outbreaks can face stigma and lose money, and farm workers that test positive can deal with health and economic issues. Worker advocacy groups have also voiced concerns that testing isnt reaching those on the front lines.

Some public health experts say the surge of bird flu in cattle is an opportunity to hone that response and protect animal and human life in the process.

The fact is, [governments] need to learn how to get this right when the stakes are lower, because there are less forgiving bird flu viruses than this one, said Amesh Adalja, a scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

The agricultural industry will have to be part of any response to infectious diseases as the climate changes. Humans often interact with animals in agricultural settings. Preventing and responding to viruses also requires establishing trust with farmers.

This is going to be part of how you think about building resilience, is that you kind of have this integrated approach, Adalja said.

That approach is known as One Health, which many involved in public health have pointed to as a framework that acknowledges the connection between people, animals and the environment and seeks to address issues like disease in a holistic way.

Wildlife surveillance systems and vaccine programs can help track and control viruses like the bird flu.

And the dairy industry can learn something from those working with pigs, Vaillancourt said. An effort called the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project has involved farmers and the industry in keeping track of disease in pigs.

The big picture, he said, is that everyone involved in livestock needs to think about stopping the spread of disease. Say a farmer needs to move some cows.

How do we move them? he said. Which roads are we going to use to minimize contaminating a site on our way. How do we clean and disinfect the vehicles when we go from one site to another site?

A few efforts have been pushed forward as the virus has spread. The federal government announced that it would spend $824 million in emergency funding on its response, and the USDA just launched a voluntary pilot program to test cow milk in bulk.

And agricultural officials in Michigan say more safety measures on farms could become a bigger part of the states approach to climate change.

Improving biosecurity in new ways that we hadnt previously considered, I think, will increasingly be a component of robust climate resiliency actions, said Boring, the director of the state agriculture department. So were seeing a little bit of that in real time here with our response to H5N1 here in the state.

And back in Antrim County, Laurie Stanek said dealing with animal sickness is just part of running a farm; theyre paying attention to the new rules and doing what theyve always done.

A lot of its just good herdsmanship just common sense, she said. You keep your animals healthy so they in turn give you a healthy product.

That, she said, is what their livelihood depends on.

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In Michigan: Climate change, bird flu, and dairy cows and why 'none of us saw this coming' - Grist

NEW YORK -- The mysterious death of a man in Mexico who had one kind of bird flu is unrelated to outbreaks of a different type at U.S. dairy farms, experts say.

Heres a look at the case and the different types of bird flu.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MEXICO BIRD FLU CASE?

A 59-year-old man in Mexico who had been bedridden because of chronic health problems developed a fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea in April. He died a week later, and the World Health Organization this week reported it.

The WHO said it was the first time that version of bird flu H5N2 had been seen in a person.

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN THE U.S. WITH BIRD FLU?

A different version of bird flu H5N1 has been infecting poultry flocks over the last several years, leading to millions of birds being culled. It also has been spreading among all different kinds of animals around the world.

This year, that flu was detected in U.S. dairy farms. Dozens of herd have seen infections, most recently in Iowa and Minnesota.

The cow outbreak has been tied to three reported illnesses in farmworkers, one in Texas and two in Michigan. Each had only mild symptoms.

WHAT'S DO THE LETTERS AND NUMBERS MEAN IN BIRD FLU NAMES?

So-called influenza A viruses are the only viruses tied to human flu pandemics, so their appearance in animals and people is a concern. These viruses are divided into subtypes based on what kinds of proteins they have on their surface hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N).

Scientists say there are 18 different H subtypes and 11 different N subtypes, and they appear in scores of combinations. H1N1 and H3N2 are common causes of seasonal flu among humans. There are many versions seen in animals as well.

H5N1, the version that has worried some U.S. scientists lately, historically has been seen mainly in birds, but has in recent years has spread to a wide variety of mammals.

WHAT IS H5N2?

H5N2 has long been seen in Mexican poultry, and farms vaccinate against it.

It's also no stranger to the United States. An H5N2 outbreak hit a flock of 7,000 chickens in south-central Texas in 2004, the first time in two decades a dangerous-to-poultry avian flu appeared in the U.S.

H5N2 also was mainly responsible for a wave outbreaks at U.S. commercial poultry farms in 2014 and 2015.

HOW DANGEROUS IS H5N2?

Over the years, H5N2 has teetered between being considered a mild threat to birds and a severe threat, but it hasn't been considered much of a human threat at all.

A decade ago, researchers used mice and ferrets to study the strain afflicting U.S. poultry at the time, and concluded it was less likely to spread and less lethal than H5N1. Officials also said there was no evidence it was spreading among people.

Rare cases of animal infections are reported each year, so it's not unexpected that a person was diagnosed with H5N2.

"If youre a glass half full kind of person, youd say, This is the system doing exactly what its supposed to do: detecting and documenting these rare human infections, where years ago we were stumbling in the dark, said Matthew Ferrari, director of Penn State's Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics.

Indeed, Mexico Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer said kidney and respiratory failure not the virus actually caused the man's death.

Some experts said it is noteworthy that it's not known how he caught the man caught H5N2.

The fact there was no reported contact (with an infected bird) does raise the possibility that he was infected by someone else who visited him, but its premature to jump to those conclusions, said Richard Webby, a flu researcher at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER TYPES OF BIRD FLU?

At this point, H5N2 is still considered a minor threat compared to some of the other kinds of bird flu out there. Most human illnesses have been attributed to H7N9, H5N6 and H5N1 bird flu viruses.

From early 2013 through October 2017, five outbreaks of H7N9 were blamed for killing more than 600 people in China. And at least 18 people in China died during an outbreak of H5N6 in 2021, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

H5N1 was first identified in 1959, but didn't really began to worry health officials until a Hong Kong outbreak in 1997 that involved severe human illnesses and deaths.

H5N1 cases have continued since then, the vast majority of them involving direct contact between people and infected animals. Globally, more than 460 human deaths have been identified since 2003, according to WHO statistics that suggest it can kill as many as half of the people reported to be infected.

Like other viruses, H5N1 as evolved over time, spawning newer versions of itself. In the last few years, the predominant version of the virus has spread quickly among a wide range of animals, but counts of human fatalities have slowed.

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Associated Press writer Mara Verza in Mexico City contributed to this story.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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A man in Mexico died with one form of bird flu, but US officials remain focused on another - ABC News

As per WHO, it usually gets transferred among animals, but it can also infect humans

The World Health Organization (WHO), on Tuesday, confirmed a human case of bird flu in India. Caused by the H9N2 virus, the infection was detected in a four-year-old child in West Bengal, the health body said.

The child has been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) of a local hospital after struggling with persistent severe respiratory issues. This is the second H9N2 bird flu case in India; the first was reported back in 2019.

A two-and-a-half-year-old girl on June 7 tested positive for H5N1 bird flu and was admitted to an intensive care unit in Australia. She had recently travelled to India.

Let us learn more about H9N2 Bird Flu:

Whom does it affect?

Bird flu, also called Avian influenza, is caused by infection with avian (bird) influenza (flu) Type A viruses. As per WHO, it usually gets transferred among animals, but it can also infect humans.

The infection spreads through direct contact with infected animals or indirect contact with contaminated environments. Depending on the original host, influenza A viruses can be classified as avian influenza, swine influenza, or other types of animal influenza viruses, says the WHO.

What are its symptoms?

The infection may cause diseases ranging from mild upper respiratory tract infections to more severe diseases. Apart from this, other symptoms of Avian Influenza virus infection include:

The WHO says that Avian Influenza virus infection can also prove to be fatal.

How to diagnose Avian Influenza virus infection in humans?

Laboratory tests are required to diagnose humans infected with influenza, according to WHO. The health body also periodically updates technical guidance protocols for the detection of zoonotic influenza using molecular methods.

How to avoid contracting the infection?

To prevent contracting the virus, the WHO suggests individuals minimise contact with animals in areas known to be affected by animal influenza viruses, including farms and settings where live animals may be sold or slaughtered.

Maintaining personal and hand hygiene, including washing hands with soap, before and after contact with animals is essential to avoid being infected by the virus.

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WHO Confirms Human Case Of Bird Flu In India. Know Symptoms And Precautions - NDTV