Category: Flu Virus

A person in Texas has tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus (H5N1), also known as bird flu, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed. This individual, who was exposed to cattle that were believed to be infected with the virus, reported eye rednessa sign of conjunctivitisbut no other symptoms. The patient is being treated with antiviral medication and is recovering.

Avian flu has been ripping through farmed poultry and wild bird populations around the world in recent years. It has also infected mammalian species ranging from foxes, bears and seals to cats and dogs. And in recent weeks, infections have been found in cattle in five U.S. states: Kansas, Texas, Michigan, New Mexico and Idaho and Minnesota. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission so far, and the CDC says the risk to the public remains low.

The new human case is the second known to occur in the U.S. The first was in 2022, when a person in Colorado tested positive for the virus via a nasal swab after having direct contact with infected poultry. That patient reported mild fatigue and later recovered. Previous cases of avian flu in humans were deadly, but they involved a different form of the virus than the one that is currently circulating.

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Scientific American talked to Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, about the latest human case and the risk to human health more broadly.

[An edited transcript of the interview follows.]

How worried should we be about the human bird flu case in Texas?

First of all, theres some clarification here. Neither of these two cases [in the U.S.] has been an actual influenza infection as you think of a respiratory infection. They both have been basically either a nasal swab detection, for the previous one, or in the case of this one, a conjunctivitisan eye infection. So this isnt classic influenza at all.

The first one was just someone who was tested routinely. They were working in a barn, depopulating the birds that were dying from flu, and they had some mild symptoms, and they just got tested. They dont know if the symptoms were related to it, and it could have been that the virus was just picked up in the nose because of just inhaling it in. The second case is a case of conjunctivitis. So thats not, again, unexpected in that there are receptor sites in the eye for influenza viruses.

Thats reassuring. How likely is the virus to spread more widely among people?

The risk assessment from both [the World Health Organization] and CDC remains that there is low risk for humans with this virus, and I support that. If you look at the cases that have occurred since 1997, when it first emerged in human cases Hong Kong, through to mid-2015 to 2016, those years were by far the highest-risk situation. Weve seen very few cases in humans since then. And part of that is that the virus has changedits mutated to the point of where it is infecting other mammalian species and birds at an increasing rate. But weve had no evidence yet that thats happened for humans or for pigs. And pigs would be the animal species that, to me, would be the sentinel that Id be most concerned about.

Why is H5N1 causing milder human infections now?

This virus just is not infecting lower parts of the respiratory tract in humans at this point. Now that can all change in a heartbeat with additional mutations. But at least for now, its not an issue.

Previously there have been fatal cases of avian flu in humans in other countries, however. What does that tell us about the risk of human spread?

Weve been here before. When we saw a major increase in transmission, in human cases, in Indonesia and Thailand and other countries in the 20032007 time period, the message was This is going to be a pandemic virus soon. Then nothing happened. Then, in 2012, I was at that time on the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, and we had data presented to that group that essentially said, Were just one mutation away from the virus becoming a major pandemic virus. It didnt happen. Then, if you look at 2015, that was when we saw the major increase in cases in Africain Egypt, along the Nile River Valley, in people raising domestic ducks. That time there were [hundreds of] cases in Egypt alone that year in humans. And the thought was that, you know, its just imminent now that we're going to see an influenza pandemic from H5N1. Nothing happened.

And so I think that weve had lessons in the past to be careful about making the leap to this is going to happen. At the same time, you know, you have to keep your eye on it. With all the influenza viruses collectively, you have to sleep with one eye open every night if youre worried about a pandemic.

Why were some of those earlier cases of H5N1 so deadly?

The virus was able to reach receptor sites and cells deeper in the respiratory tract and cause human infection. And it was obviously a severe issue. But even then, we had no evidence these were person-to-person transmitted cases. The exposures were [traced] back to the animals. We havent seen any evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.

Did the current case in the U.S. likely involve a person becoming infected because of contact with a cow?

I cant speak to which animal it was contact-wise, but that could very well be. There was some question as to whether or not there was also contact with birds on the same farm. So either way, its clearly an animal exposure.

How would we know if the virus was spreading more widely in people?

First, you have to have a confirmed case in a human of a respiratory-transmitted virus that then resulted in severe-to-moderate respiratory illnessand then you just start picking up additional human cases in that area.

Are scientists watching H5N1 closely to see how it evolves?

Were going to be tracking the virus to see is it changing genetically and if the [avian flu group] 2.3.4.4b is the same virus were seeing here with the wild birds. In the humans, we have not seen any changes in the virus yet that would support that its now more human-adapted. Thats going to be one thing well be looking for. The second thing is just looking at the epidemiology: Are there people who are in contact with potential cases? I say potential because we have not had a respiratory transmitted virus case yet in the U.S. So I think that will be important. If we see one, will we see others around it?

Could people become infected by consuming unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat from an infected cow or other animal?

Yeah, well, unpasteurized milk and cheeses I would surely avoid. But Ive been saying that for 50 years for a whole lot of other reasons, too, public-health-wise. Surely, this is just one more addition to that. I think the second thing is, of course, that, at this point, what data we have supports that pasteurization will kill the virus in the milk.

But could you actually become infected by drinking milk containing the virus?

We dont know. Will taking the virus down your throat, into your larynx, will that cause the exposure of the virus to cells with the right receptor sites? We dont know that yet. Its possible.

How is the fact that H5N1 is infecting cows and goats likely to affect the livestock industry?

I dont know. I mean, well know in the weeks ahead. This is the time of the year we expect to see migratory birds bringing the virus into many communities that have not seen the virus for months. And each time that happens it's kind of a throw at the genetic roulette table, and we'll see what happens. We don't know. But it's all the more reason why we need to be better prepared for the next pandemic.

At this point, again, the virus, as it is, I don't believe poses a major risk to humans. But that, as I said, could change overnight if there were mutational changes to the virus.

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Bird Flu Detected in a Person in Texas: What We Know So Far - Scientific American

SUMMARY

There is growing concern about the continuing spread of the highly contagious bird flu in the U.S. While federal health officials say the risk to humans is low, the virus has now spread to dairy cattle and sickened one person. William Brangham discussed more with Jennifer Nuzzo of the Pandemic Center at Brown Universitys School of Public Health.

View the transcript of the story.

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Based on the response in the U.S. to the COVID pandemic, how do you think public officials should be trying to manage outbreak of the bird flu, both in terms of policy and messaging to the public?

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Concerns grow about risks of bird flu in U.S. - PBS NewsHour

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged medical practitioners on Friday to be on the lookout for people who might have contracted H5N1 bird flu from cows. The agency also urged state health departments to rapidly assess any suspected human cases, and recommended that dairy farms with confirmed or suspected outbreaks require workers to use personal protective equipment.

The recommendations were outlined in a health alert network advisory, or HAN in CDC parlance. The advisory is in response to the outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in at least 16 dairy herds in six states across the country, which has led to at least one human infection so far.

Health care providers should ask themselves Could this be an H5N1 infection? if they are faced with a patient with what CDC called a relevant exposure history for instance, someone who works with dairy cows or lives with someone who works with dairy cows.

The illness should be considered for a range of mild, medium, and severe symptoms, from conjunctivitis to fever, shortness of breath, or pneumonia and/or organ failure, the CDC said.

Any patient suspected of having H5N1 flu should be isolated and cared for by medical professionals wearing protective equipment. Suspected cases should be started on the flu drug oseltamivir sold as Tamiflu even before test results confirming the infection have come back, the agency said.

The CDC said the individual known to have been infected, who worked on a dairy farm in Texas, is recovering from very mild symptoms effectively only conjunctivitis, sometimes called pink eye. The individual was treated with oseltamivir, as were people who had been in contact with that individual before the diagnosis. So far, there is no indication of secondary spread from this person.

No additional cases of human infection with HPAI A(H5N1) virus associated with the current infections in dairy cattle and birds in the United States, and no human-to-human transmission of HPAI A(H5N1) virus have been identified, the CDC advisory said.

HPAI is shorthand for highly pathogenic avian influenza, a term that describes how a flu virus behaves when it infects poultry. H5N1 viruses, which have been circulating on and off since 1997, decimate poultry flocks.

In cows, however, the illness has been mild to date, with infected animals showing a decline in milk production and decreased feed consumption. Dairy operations have been instructed to destroy milk from infected animals; milk from infected animals has been found to contain H5N1 viruses.

Even if contaminated milk were to make its way into the human food chain, pasteurization would destroy the viruses, the Food and Drug Administration has said. Consumption of raw milk or raw milk cheese from infected cows could pose a health risk and should be avoided, the CDC said.

Infected cows have been reported from Texas (eight herds), Kansas (three), New Mexico (two), and Idaho, Michigan, and Ohio (one apiece).

It is unclear if the virus has been transmitting from cow-to-cow through the respiratory route, in the way human flu spreads, or whether some aspect of dairy operations the movement of cattle from winter grazing grounds back to northern states, a lack of cleaning of milking equipment as it is moved from cow to cow is fueling spread of the virus.

The CDCs advisory said that analyses of viruses taken from the infected person, from cows, and from wild birds and poultry showed only small genetic changes. While minor changes were identified in the virus sequence from the patient specimen compared to the viral sequences from cattle, both cattle and human sequences lack changes that would make them better adapted to infect mammals, the HAN stated.

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CDC to doctors: Look out for bird flu infections among dairy farm workers - STAT

A public health sign warns people about bird flu in May 2022 in Brighton, United Kingdom. Photo: Andrew Aitchison/In pictures via Getty Images

Bird flu is spreading among dairy cows in at least three U.S. states, and one person in Texas has been infected with the virus, health officials said.

The big picture: More than 80 countries have reported bird flu outbreaks in in poultry and wild birds in the past two years, according to the World Health Organization. Ten countries across three continents have reported virus outbreaks in mammals.

Bird flu is a disease caused by infection with avian influenza Type A viruses, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It spreads globally among susceptible birds through contact as an infected bird sheds the virus in its saliva, nasal secretions and feces, according to the CDC.

The viruses normally spread among birds, according to the World Health Organization.

Yes, but: An increasing number of aviation flu cases among mammals, including cattle, "raises concern that the virus might adapt to infect humans more easily," the WHO says.

While human infection is possible, its occurrence is rare.

Threat level: A person in Texas was being treated for the H5N1 strain of the flu after exposure to dairy cattle presumed to be infected with the virus, health officials said Monday.

The bird flu was recently detected in unpasteurized milk samples and swabs from dairy herds in Texas, Kansas and Michigan.

Worth noting: The bird flu outbreak has contributed to rising egg prices.

Go deeper: Person in Texas contracted bird flu after exposure to infected cows

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Bird flu in humans: What to know - Axios

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Posted: April 04, 2024

Confirmation that a dangerous form of bird flu is circulating among U.S. dairy cattle has raised questions among dairy producers and consumers on both sides of the border.

Dairy and beef farmers are implementing biosecurity measures to keep H5N1 out of their herds, while Canadians are understandably concerned about what these outbreaks could mean for food safety.

So what is the scope of these dairy cattle outbreaks, and how is Canada impacted? And is it safe to consume milk and other dairy products?

In the last week, American officials have identified highly pathogenic avian influenza, or H5N1 bird flu, in roughly a dozen dairy cattle herds across six states: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, and Texas.

Scientists told CBC News it appears to be the first time H5N1 has infected cows. But the outbreaks weren't entirely unexpected. Bird flu exploded globally two years ago, and numerous wild and domestic animal species have been infected, including chickens, goats, and other farmed animals.

There have been sporadic human infections, and deaths, including a mild case in Texas in an individual who had contact with cattle the second-ever bird flu infection reported in the U.S.

While the dairy cattle outbreaks are new and raise important questions about spread across species, outbreaks among poultry are far bigger.

More than 80 million U.S. chickens have been affected by H5N1 across 48 states, the latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data shows.

And Canada is experiencing a similar issue, with at least 11 million birds impacted country-wide, according to federal figures.

Not that we know of, though both farmers and federal officials are watching for it.

So far, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has not detected H5N1 in dairy cattle or other livestock in Canada, and is "monitoring the situation closely," the agency said in a recent statement.

But bird flu experts suspect it's heading our way or already here.

"There's no reason to think that there would be infected birds near cattle in the U.S. and not in Canada, especially when you have multiple states infected," said Dr. Scott Weese, a veterinarian and researcher with the University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College.

"So it's not unreasonable to think that we've had infections in Canada."

WATCH | Human bird flu case linked to U.S. dairy cattle outbreaks:

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The CFIA said the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) shared that bird flu virus was detected in unpasteurized milk from sick dairy cattle in some U.S. states.

It's unclear whether drinking raw milk from an H5N1-infected cow would be risky, said Weese. But studies do show raw milk can carry all kinds of dangerous pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli, and listeria, all known for causing food poisoning.

"There are lots of other reasons not to drink raw milk, so this is maybe just one more reason to stay away," he said.

That being said, there are layers of protections in place to prevent tainted milk from ever reaching consumers.

"Dairy farmers control infectious diseases on their farm by isolating sick cows from the rest of the herd, effectively removing their milk from the general supply," noted Jenna Guthmiller, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado's department of immunology and microbiology, in a social media thread.

If tainted milk did somehow slip through in either the U.S. or Canada it would also go through pasteurizationbefore being sold. That specialized heating process is capable of killing any harmful pathogens, ensuring the milk is safe to drink.

And when it comes to the safety of other products, such as cheese, eggs, or meat, Weese stressed that flu viruses simply can't live for very long outside a living host.

"They're not very hardy," he said, adding that thoroughly cooking food definitely kills them.

The U.S. CDC notes that "the likelihood that eggs from infected poultry are found in the retail market is low and proper storage and preparation further reduce the risk."

As for beef, the U.S. cattle outbreaks are confined to dairy-producing cows, at least for now.

"It's not going to change my eating habits at all," said Weese.

"Canadian dairy producers already adhere to some of the highest biosecurity standards in the world," said the Dairy Farmers of Canada in a statement.

Several Canadian dairy farmers who spoke to CBC News also said they're implementing heightened measures in an attempt to keep bird flu out of their herds.

Kirk Jackson, a beef and dairy producer in St-Anicet, Que., said the potential for water source contamination is "almost zero" as farms like his use underground water sources. Workers also ensure spilled feed is cleaned quickly, to try and avoid attracting wild birds, and visitors to the farm are not currently allowed.

Still, the next few weeks could matter a lot, Jackson added, since spring bird migration is underway, bringing more flocks back north.

Seventh-generation dairy farmer Jason Erskine, in Hinchinbrooke, Que., said his farm uses screens to keep birds and vermin away from the cows but he's aware those measures aren't foolproof.

"They still find ways to get in," he said.

Lauren Pelley Senior Health & Medical Reporter

Lauren Pelley covers health and medical science for CBC News, including the global spread of infectious diseases, Canadian health policy, pandemic preparedness, and the crucial intersection between human health and climate change. Two-time RNAO Media Award winner for in-depth health reporting in 2020 and 2022. Contact her at: lauren.pelley@cbc.ca

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Is milk safe to drink? Can you catch bird flu from beef? What to know about H5N1 cattle outbreaks - CBC News

(NEXSTAR) A highly contagious strain of bird flu is ripping through flocks of major egg producers around the U.S. Its not just chickens being infected dairy cows have also tested positive, and one person in Texas is believed to have caught the virus after working with affected cattle.

As the Type A H5N1 influenza virus spreads, major egg producers have been forced to kill millions of chickens in attempts to contain the outbreak.

Its an economic loss for producers, and may soon become a burden on families grocery store bills.

We would expect to see some increase in prices because youre rapidly pulling a large number of potential eggs out of the market for the next 30 to 60 days, said Amy Hagerman, a professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University.

Under normal circumstances, egg prices would usually be dropping after the Easter holiday, when demand is high. She doesnt expect that to be the case this year.

Plus, egg prices havent fully recovered from the ups and downs of the past two years. In 2022, when bird flu knocked out 10% of the countrys laying hens, prices skyrocketed.

Now, the average price of a dozen eggs is about $2.99, according to federal data. Thats worse than six months ago, when a carton typically ran about $2, but way better than January 2023, when a dozen eggs cost $4.82 on average.

While egg prices start creeping higher if the avian influenza outbreaks grow, the situation is different when it comes to dairy products.

Dairy farmers in Texas first became concerned three weeks ago when cattle started falling ill with what officials called mystery dairy cow disease, Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said. Milk production fell sharply and the cows were lethargic and werent eating much.

We hadnt seen anything like it before, he said. It was kind of like they had a cold.

With cattle, the virus doesnt appear to be nearly as deadly or contagious as it is with poultry, Hagerman said. If this virus gets into a poultry block, every animal is infected within a very short period of time. And were just not seeing that so far, or its not being reported by the cattle producers and by the veterinarians.

That means fewer deaths for dairy cattle, and fewer production disruptions for the dairy industry.

Poultry prices are also not being impacted at this point. While millions of egg laying chickens have been depopulated, commercial broiler operations chickens raised for their meat have not been greatly affected. Some turkey flocks have been impacted.

And while eggs may be more expensive in the coming months, they will be just as safe to eat as ever. Pasteurization of both eggs and milk kills the virus.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Chickens and cattle hit with massive bird flu outbreak. Will food prices go up? - Fox 46 Charlotte

The H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been found in more herds of cows and infected one human in the past week, although health officials say the risk to humans is still low.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Friday that a person who had exposure to infected cows in Texas was found to be infected with the H5N1 subtype, with conjunctivitis being their only symptom. The infected person was treated with a flu antiviral drug and is recovering at home.

It is unclear how the person was infected, but if they were infected by exposure to an infected cow, it would be the first recorded case of transmission from a cow to a human.

The CDC stressed that the overall human health risk of the bird flu remains low. Preliminary analysis of genetic sequences of the virus shows they still are not well adapted to humans. One change was found in the genetic sequence, although the CDC explained that the finding is not uncommon and is not associated with an increased ability to spread between humans.

The CDC recommended that people avoid unprotected exposure to sick or dead animals or to animal poop, bedding, raw milk, or materials touched by sick animals.

During an online meeting held by the USDA, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the United Nationss Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on Thursday, scientists from the USDA noted that the virus may not be spreading directly between cows and may instead be spreading on milking equipment, the people taking care of the milking, or both, according to Science magazine.

The virus may be transmitted in milk droplets on workers' clothing or gloves or on the suction cups used for milking, according to the scientists.

Meanwhile, Richard Webby, a virologist at St Jude Children's Research Hospital, told NPR on Thursday that "it's hard to explain exactly what's going on without some degree of mammal-to-mammal spread."

"This particular version of the H5N1 virus is teaching us that some of the things we thought we knew about flu were wrong," said Webby.

So far, infected cows have been found in six states, including Texas, Idaho, Kansas, Ohio, New Mexico, and Michigan.

The Texas Department of State Health Services told the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota last week that three cats were also found to have fallen ill due to the bird flu on the affected farms.

Cases of bird flu infecting dairy cows were first reported by US health officials early last week. Those cases were the first-ever recorded instances of the bird flu infecting dairy cows. Dead wild birds were also found at some of the farms.

The USDA noted in its announcements about the infections that the affected milk has been destroyed and that the pasteurization process should destroy bird flu viruses in milk regardless. The FDA recommends against consuming unpasteurized, raw milk.

Outbreaks of avian influenza have been increasingly reported in mammals as the virus has continued to spread around the world in the past few years.

Since 2021, Europe and the Americas have been suffering from a nearly continuous outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza, which has been described as "the largest-ever" on the three continents. The virus has affected tens of millions of birds and thousands of mammals worldwide. Outbreaks of the virus have also become more common in Africa and Asia in the past year and have even spread to Antarctica in recent months.

The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) noted in March that, while estimates vary, about 485 bird species and 37 mammal species have been infected with avian influenza since 2021. Only the Pacific Islands, Australia, and New Zealand have been spared from the virus.

The loss of wildlife at the current scale presents an unprecedented risk of wildlife population collapse, creating an ecological crisis, noted WOAH.

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Bird flu continues to spread in cows in US, human infected - The Jerusalem Post

By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News

The stateDepartment for Public Healthsays respiratory virus activity ticked up a bit in Kentucky in the last week of March, but remained at a relatively low level, while hospitalizations for respiratory disease declined but remained at a level that the department considers moderate.

In the week ended March 30, emergency-room visits for influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) increased almost 5% to 1,796. Of those, 1,508 were for the flu.

Flu drives hospital respiratory admissions, ER visits. (File photo)

But in that same week, hospital admissions for the diseases dropped 19%, to 233. Of those, 135 were for flu, 85 were for COVID-19 and 13 were for RSV.

In the week ended March 30, every Kentucky countyhada low rate of COVID-19 hospital admissions, considered to be less than 10 admissions per 100,000 people by theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.

The state reported 1,431 laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu in the week ended March 30, showing the first uptick in confirmed flu cases since mid-February. The state reported 857 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, which have declined for seven weeks in a row.

TheKentucky Respiratory Disease Dashboardis now reporting Kentucky monthly death information for all Kentuckians since October 2023 as well as a separate category for those 65 and older during the 2023-24 respiratory season.

The dashboard shows that since the flu season began in October, there have been a total of 524 deaths attributed to COVID-19, with 447 of them in people 65 and older. One COVID-19 victim and one flu victim were children. There have been 121 flu-related deaths, with 74 in people 65 and older. Ten deaths have been attributed to co-infection, with two in people 65 and older.

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Respiratory-virus activity ticks up a bit but hospital admissions fall; flu drives admissions, ER visits - NKyTribune - User-generated content

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says cows in multiple states have tested positive for bird flu. Charlie Litchfield/AP hide caption

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says cows in multiple states have tested positive for bird flu.

On Monday, a person in Texas tested positive for bird flu also known as the highly pathogenic avian influenza after coming in contact with dairy cattle presumed to be infected.

The virus, which is highly contagious among wild birds and poultry, has now spread to dairy farms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Not only is this the first time that bird flu has been found in dairy cattle, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, but this is also only the second time a human has contracted the virus in the U.S.

Government and health officials say that the risk to the public remains low, since there have been no recorded instances in the U.S. of human-to-human transmission of avian flu.

All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro spoke to Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about the potential risks and the government's response.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Ari Shapiro: The CDC says the risk to humans from the H5N1 flu that is driving this outbreak is low. Right now, it appears that the two cases in humans were from contact with sick animals. Do you have any reason to believe that humans could pass this on to each other?

Mandy Cohen: So we have never seen a case of human-to-human spread of avian flu here in the United States. And the version of avian flu that we're seeing in cattle, and in this one human case, is the same strain [H5N1] that we have seen previously in birds. We've never seen that spread human to human. That all being said, [what] we've learned through COVID in our experience is: viruses change, and we need to stay ahead of it. That's why we at CDC and the whole of U.S. government is taking this very seriously and monitoring the situation very closely.

CDC director Mandy Cohen in 2023. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

CDC director Mandy Cohen in 2023.

Shapiro: You say we need to stay ahead of it. Tell us what that involves, what are the steps you're taking?

Cohen: One is obviously working very closely to make sure we're understanding the extent of the spread, how many cattle and farm[s] are involved, and then obviously looking for any humans that are in contact with cattle or sick birds, and testing folks that have symptoms, and making sure that we're understanding if it has spread to other folks. So far, there's only been one case in Texas. The person had very mild symptoms. They're recovering well. But we want to make sure, again, that we are testing folks who may have been in contact.

Shapiro: You said widespread testing is important is there a risk that cases are going to go under the radar because people are afraid to report? Whether it's farm owners who don't want their operation to be shut down or farm workers who might not have health coverage.

Cohen: We're working closely with our state and local partners, our partners through agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and farm workers. Again, we want to get ahead of this. So we're trying to talk folks through it and build trust, and folks have really been receptive. We've been particularly working with a lot of the veterinarians that are part of the farms that have been impacted. So far, all working well together.

Shapiro: Cows were not thought to be a species at high risk, and so if the virus is now spreading in cows, what are the chances that it could mutate to become a risk to humans?

Cohen: Well, it is true this is the first time we've seen avian flu, or "bird flu," in cattle. And, as you know, cows are mammals, so this is a new reservoir or a group of animals that we are seeing this virus in. And that just means more opportunity for this virus to mutate and change. And that's what we want to make sure we are continuing to stay ahead of.

Shapiro: Monitoring whether it continues to spread and evolve is one thing preparing for the possibility that it might is another. In a New York Times opinion piece, columnist Zeynep Tufekci said the government needs to gear up to potentially mass produce vaccines quickly. Do you agree with that?

Cohen: Well, the good news is the United States has been preparing for avian flu outbreaks for more than 20 years. We've invested in our ability to test for this, to prevent it and to treat it. And we know that the strain we're seeing right now is the same strain we have seen before. And we believe from all of our laboratory testing that our test will pick this up. Our treatment, which is Tamiflu, which we have both doses in stockpile and around the country, works. And we even have vaccine candidates that are ready to go. So it's very different than what we experienced, for example, at the beginning of COVID, when we're seeing a brand new novel virus where we didn't have tests, we didn't have treatment and we didn't have vaccine.

Shapiro: But just specifically, if it does take time to mass produce vaccines, is that something the U.S. should be doing in earnest right now on the chance that the virus evolves?

Cohen: We have never seen a transmission from a human-to-human. That is something we are watching for very closely. And so there may be trigger points where we would move to thinking about scaling up vaccine. But remember, there's always a tradeoff there if we move to manufacturing one type of vaccine, it may be at the expense of being able to manufacture that vaccine for the seasonal flu. Again, something that also impacts us. So, we have the ability to scale up if we need to. And again, we've already started down that process and we'll keep monitoring to see if we need to trigger and do that.

Shapiro: The cases so far have all been in dairy cows. Should people be concerned about consuming milk and other dairy products?

Cohen: [The] FDA has indicated that our milk supply is safe because of the pasteurization process. Unpasteurized and raw milk remains a risk, but the vast majority of our milk supply is safe because of pasteurization.

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What the CDC is doing to monitor and protect against bird flu - NPR

The largest egg producer in the United States said Tuesday that it temporarily ceased operations at one of its Texas facilities after detecting bird flu in chickens the latest in a steady uptick of cases among U.S. farm animals in recent weeks.

Cal-Maine Foods said it culled about 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets (young hens) after some of its chickens at a Parmer County, Texas, facility tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), caused by influenza A viruses that spread widely among wild and domestic birds.

A dairy worker in Texas was being treated for the virus that causes avian influenza, becoming only the second known human case in the United States, state and federal officials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the person tested positive for H5N1 bird flu.

The culled chickens at Cal-Maine Foods represent 3.6 percent of its flock as of March 2, it said. The company said no farm is immune from HPAI but added that it remains dedicated to robust biosecurity programs across its locations.

Minnesota officials reported the first infection of bird flu among livestock in the United States last month, when a juvenile goat living on a farm with infected chickens tested positive.

Last month, bird flu was also detected in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas. Later that week, U.S. officials said that cows in Michigan had tested positive and that there were presumptive positive tests among cows in Idaho and New Mexico, suggesting that the virus may be spreading among cattle.

On Tuesday, Michigans Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that bird flu was detected at a commercial poultry plant in Ionia County, the fourth detection of HPAI in a commercial facility since the virus was first spotted in the state in 2022.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also said Tuesday that cases were detected in a dairy cow herd in Idaho.

Officials have said the risk to human health remains low. But the CDC has warned that people with unprotected exposure to infected birds or other animals, including livestock, are at greater risk of infection.

People should also avoid uncooked or undercooked food, unpasteurized milk and raw cheese, according to the CDC. Cooking eggs or poultry to an internal temperature of about 165 degrees Fahrenheit generally kills bacteria and viruses, including bird flu viruses, it says. Backyard chickens or pet chickens are at risk if they come in contact with wild birds carrying the virus.

Human symptoms of bird flu include eye redness, fever, coughing, sore throat, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or seizures are less common, the CDC said.

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Bird flu found in chickens at Texas plant, run by largest U.S. producer - The Washington Post