With only gloves to protect them, farmworkers say they tend sick cows amid bird flu
3 months, 3 weeks ago

With only gloves to protect them, farmworkers say they tend sick cows amid bird flu

Salon  

GREELEY, Colo. — In early August, farmworkers gathered under a pavilion at a park here for a picnic to celebrate Farmworker Appreciation Day. “I tell my wife and son that the cows are sick, and she tells me to leave, but it will be the same wherever I go.” He said he’d heard that his employers were unsympathetic when a colleague approached them about feeling ill. He’d even seen someone affiliated with management remove a flyer about how people can protect themselves from the bird flu and throw it in a bin. “All you have to do is ask.” Producers are highly motivated to keep infections down, he said, because “milk is their life source.” He said he has heard from some producers that “their family members who work on the farm are doing 18-to 20-hour days just to try to stay ahead of it, so that they’re the first line between everything, to protect their employees.” Colorado’s health department is advertising a hotline that ill dairy workers can call for help getting a flu test and medicine. “And in some instances,” she said, “a lot of these workers don’t know how to read, so the flyers are not reaching them, and then the employers are not doing any kind of talks or trainings.” The CDC’s Nirav Shah said during an Aug. 13 call with journalists that awareness about bird flu among dairy workers isn’t as high as officials would like it to be, despite months of campaigns on social media and the radio. “We’re using every single messenger that we can.” KFF Health News correspondents Vanessa G. Sánchez and Amy Maxmen contributed to this report.

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History of this topic

California declared an emergency. How serious is bird flu?
4 days, 20 hours ago

California declared an emergency. How serious is bird flu?

Associated Press  

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the virus, which has spread for years in wild birds, commercial poultry and many mammal species. One person in Louisiana has been hospitalized …

Bird Flu triggers state of emergency in California: What's at stake and key details
Trending News
5 days, 12 hours ago

Bird Flu triggers state of emergency in California: What's at stake and key details

India Today  

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the virus, which has spread for years in wild birds, commercial poultry and many mammal species. One person in Louisiana has been hospitalized …

California declares state of emergency amid rising bird flu cases
Trending News
5 days, 12 hours ago

California declares state of emergency amid rising bird flu cases

India Today  

The US reported its first severe human case of bird flu on Wednesday in a Louisiana resident who is hospitalised in critical condition after suspected contact with an infected backyard flock. Severe respiratory illness in the Louisiana patient shows increased health risks for people from the virus that previously caused eye redness, or conjunctivitis, in infected dairy workers. "The mild …

Bird flu hospitalizes person in Louisiana, the first severe infection in U.S.
6 days, 12 hours ago

Bird flu hospitalizes person in Louisiana, the first severe infection in U.S.

Salon  

A person has been hospitalized with bird flu in Louisiana, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marking the first time since the outbreak began that an infection with the H5N1 virus reached such severity. Although another severe case hospitalized in a teenager in Canada last month, this is the first severe case reported in the U.S. Related …

Mega-Farms Are Driving the Threat of Bird Flu
1 week, 3 days ago

Mega-Farms Are Driving the Threat of Bird Flu

Wired  

This story originally appeared on Inside Climate News and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. “It’s a lot of trouble.” Further north and west, in the San Joaquin Valley—the heart of the state’s dairy industry—the H5N1 virus, commonly known as bird flu, has rippled through the massive herds that provide most of the country’s milk. The Centers for Disease …

Health Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat
1 week, 6 days ago

Health Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat

Deccan Chronicle  

Paris: Health experts have been sounding the alarm about the potential pandemic threat posed by bird flu, which has been showing signs of mutating as it spreads among cows and infects people in the United States. The deadly bird flu variant H5N1 first emerged in China in 1996, but over the last four years it has sp More than 300 …

US orders testing of milk supply for bird flu amid growing concerns
2 weeks, 3 days ago

US orders testing of milk supply for bird flu amid growing concerns

Deccan Chronicle  

The US government has taken steps to better monitor the spread of bird flu among dairy cows, ordering testing of the nation’s milk supply for the H5N1 virus. While bird flu is typically associated with poultry, recent evidence suggests that it has begun spreading to cows, with initial reports indicating transmission through a single event likely in late 2023. Although …

Bird flu may need a single mutation to spread among humans, study finds
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Bird flu may need a single mutation to spread among humans, study finds

LA Times  

Cows are milked at a Fresno dairy farm. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend: The H5N1 bird flu may be one mutation away from being a threat to humans. And here’s today’s e-newspaper The H5N1 bird flu virus may need just one mutation to be a threat to humans, a study found. “Yikes,” “Oh great” and …

Arizona sees first case of human bird flu as government begins testing milk for virus
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Arizona sees first case of human bird flu as government begins testing milk for virus

Raw Story  

Bird flu has officially jumped from birds to infect two people in Arizona, AZFamily reported Friday. While cases of the disease, known as Type A H5N1, jumping to humans in California have previously been reported, this is the first case in Arizona, the report said. In March, the first case of bird flu was detected in U.S. cows' milk. "The …

Letters to the Editor: A doctor’s fear that we’re careening toward a bird flu disaster
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Letters to the Editor: A doctor’s fear that we’re careening toward a bird flu disaster

LA Times  

Bird flu outbreaks at dairy farms are sparking fears of a major threat to human health. To the editor: As a retired public health and emergency medicine physician, I want to thank you for your recent articles about the bird flu, most recently those articles by Times reporters Susanne Rust and Melissa Gomez. The combination of a mutating and potentially …

Bird flu: How raw milk could usher in a pandemic.
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Bird flu: How raw milk could usher in a pandemic.

Slate  

Bird flu just might have found a direct route toward infecting more humans. The immediate risk posed by the bird flu virus’s presence in raw milk is limited to individual consumers who drink the stuff. But if you were actively trying to catch bird flu but couldn’t make it to a farm to handle the cows yourself, a glass of …

All raw milk from Fresno dairy farm will be cleared from store shelves; cows have bird flu
2 weeks, 6 days ago

All raw milk from Fresno dairy farm will be cleared from store shelves; cows have bird flu

LA Times  

Raw Farm’s raw milk is set to be removed from stores. After two limited recalls, all raw milk and cream from a Fresno-based dairy farm must be removed from store shelves. However, the state is urging consumers to avoid other raw milk products, including cheese and kefir, as well as raw milk pet food products, including “raw milk pet food …

Bird flu is getting worse. Disease experts worry Trump and RFK Jr. will mangle response like COVID
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Bird flu is getting worse. Disease experts worry Trump and RFK Jr. will mangle response like COVID

Salon  

As America gears up for the year's end and a change in administration, the topic of public health has dominated many conversations throughout the election season, but one facet has been noticeably absent: bird flu. “It would be important for the Trump administration, as it's rolling out its team that's going to be heading CDC, HHS, USDA, that they talk …

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain

NPR  

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain The spread of bird flu continues to trouble scientists. His experiments with infected cattle indicated bird flu was primarily spreading through virus-laden milk, not as you'd expect from a typical respiratory virus. STONE: The intervening months have made it painfully clear bird flu has a strong foothold in …

Despite warnings from bird flu experts, it’s business as usual in California dairy country
4 weeks ago

Despite warnings from bird flu experts, it’s business as usual in California dairy country

LA Times  

It was a late fall morning and hundreds of cows — black and white splattered Holsteins and cappuccino-colored Jerseys — milled about a San Joaquin Valley dairy farm in the largest milk-producing state in the nation. The scene seemed utterly unremarkable — except for the fact that five days earlier, the H5N1 bird flu virus that has ravaged California’s dairy …

CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections
1 month, 2 weeks ago

CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections

Associated Press  

Federal health officials on Thursday called for more testing of employees on farms with bird flu after a new study showed that some dairy workers had signs of infection, even when they didn’t report feeling sick. Farmworkers in close contact with infected animals should be tested and offered treatment even if they show no symptoms, said Dr. Nirav Shah, principal …

Should We Be Worried About Bird Flu?
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Should We Be Worried About Bird Flu?

Huff Post  

ULISES RUIZ via Getty Images The H5N1 virus, aka the bird flu, spilled over to commercial poultry before sickening cattle earlier this year. The increase in avian influenza activity is due to a major outbreak occurring in wild birds that has been ongoing and has spilled into poultry farms and now dairy cattle,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert …

Bird flu spreads across US with dozens of cases now found in 6 states
2 months ago

Bird flu spreads across US with dozens of cases now found in 6 states

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Michigan officials announced the state’s first outbreak since early …

As bird flu outbreaks rise, piles of dead cattle become shocking Central Valley tableau
2 months ago

As bird flu outbreaks rise, piles of dead cattle become shocking Central Valley tableau

LA Times  

There’s a sickness hovering over Tulare County‘s dairy industry. Two dead cows lie on the edge of a dairy farm in Tipton, Calif. “I’m surprised there are that few reported,” Anja Raudabaugh, chief executive of Western United Dairies, a California dairy trade organization, said recently after being told the latest case number was 105. “Virus will survive on the carcass …

California becomes epicenter of bird flu crisis as more human cases reported
2 months, 1 week ago

California becomes epicenter of bird flu crisis as more human cases reported

Salon  

Another five suspected cases of bird flu were reported today in California, where six cases have already been confirmed, according to the California Department of Public Health. The state, which is the country’s largest dairy supplier, has become the epicenter of bird flu in cows and has concerned public health experts since the beginning of the outbreak for this reason. …

As bird flu outbreak expands in California, dairy farms report it’s worse than they expected
2 months, 2 weeks ago

As bird flu outbreak expands in California, dairy farms report it’s worse than they expected

CNN  

CNN — A third farmworker has tested positive for bird flu in California, according to the state’s health department. “I have seen little that abates my worry that this virus will eventually cause hospitalizations or deaths,” she added Dozens of California herds affected Since late August, more than 80 herds in California have been affected by bird flu, according to …

California reports two confirmed cases of bird flu infection in Central Valley dairy workers
2 months, 3 weeks ago

California reports two confirmed cases of bird flu infection in Central Valley dairy workers

LA Times  

The two California cases bring the total of human cases associated with bird-flu-infected dairy cows in the U.S. to six. California health officials reported two confirmed cases of H5N1 bird flu infection in Central Valley dairy workers on Thursday afternoon. On Saturday, the California Department of Public Health reported that a third possible human case of bird flu had been …

Concern grows as bird flu outbreaks continue to rise among California dairy herds
3 months ago

Concern grows as bird flu outbreaks continue to rise among California dairy herds

LA Times  

Reports of H5N1 bird flu outbreaks at California dairy herds are continuing to rise as the nation’s largest milk producer scrambles to contain the spread. “Farmers are genuinely worried about the virus and do not feel it’s under control,” said Anja Raudabaugh, CEO of Western United Dairies, the trade association of California dairy farmers. Steve Lyle, an agriculture department spokesman, …

Officials confirm H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in three California dairy farms
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Officials confirm H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in three California dairy farms

LA Times  

Federal officials have confirmed that three California dairy herds have suffered outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu, due most likely to the transportation of cattle and not exposure to diseased birds. The B3.13 genetic sequence found in the infected cows was clearly the result of “anthropogenic movement; essentially zero chance it was an independent spill from wild birds into these dairies,” …

California becomes 14th state to detect bird flu in dairy cows
3 months, 2 weeks ago

California becomes 14th state to detect bird flu in dairy cows

Salon  

On Monday, California became the 14th state to report outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows. Some have wondered how the Golden State avoided an outbreak thus far in the bird flu crisis, after nearly 200 outbreaks have been reported from Colorado to Texas to Michigan. In late August, cows at three dairy farms in the Central Valley displayed symptoms …

Health experts worry about the spread of bird flu during this fair season
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Health experts worry about the spread of bird flu during this fair season

NPR  

Health experts worry about the spread of bird flu during this fair season The Indiana State Fair is exhibiting prize dairy cows, amid the threat of bird flu that has been detected in cattle from 13 states. JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: We are smack-dab in the middle of state fair season, and this year, health experts are worried that bird flu …

Bird flu restrictions cause heartache for 4-H kids unable to show off livestock at fairs across US
4 months, 1 week ago

Bird flu restrictions cause heartache for 4-H kids unable to show off livestock at fairs across US

Associated Press  

EVART, Mich. — Alison Smith stared at the virtually empty dairy barn inside the Osceola County Fairgrounds, once bustling with teens and preteens preparing to show their prized animals but now eerily silent as an invisible virus once again interfered with a cherished summertime rite. “And just a lot of people talking and having fun catching up in the dairy …

Bird flu restrictions cause heartache for 4-H kids unable to show off livestock at fairs across US
4 months, 1 week ago

Bird flu restrictions cause heartache for 4-H kids unable to show off livestock at fairs across US

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “And just a lot of …

Bird flu cases are going undetected, new study suggests. It’s a problem for all of us
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Bird flu cases are going undetected, new study suggests. It’s a problem for all of us

Salon  

A new study lends weight to fears that more livestock workers have gotten the bird flu than has been reported. “Largely, that’s because our surveillance has been so poor.” As bird flu cases go underreported, health officials risk being slow to notice if the virus were to become more contagious. Gray’s team detected signs of prior bird flu infections in …

The Bird Flu Threat Keeps Growing
54 years, 11 months ago

The Bird Flu Threat Keeps Growing

Wired  

Ongoing outbreaks of avian influenza have decimated poultry flocks and wild birds across the United States and worldwide. On July 25, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed an additional three human cases, bringing the total number of US cases to 13 since April. “These cases are not entirely surprising given that these people were working with infected …

Two more bird flu cases reported in Colorado, but elsewhere a study finds no asymptomatic infections
5 months ago

Two more bird flu cases reported in Colorado, but elsewhere a study finds no asymptomatic infections

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — U.S. health officials on Friday announced two more bird flu cases among farmworkers, but they also said a new study in Michigan suggested the virus is not causing silent infections in people. Last month, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services launched a study of workers who were around cows sickened by the bird flu. It’s …

Extreme heat may have increased spread of H5N1 at poultry farm
5 months, 1 week ago

Extreme heat may have increased spread of H5N1 at poultry farm

LA Times  

An H5N1 outbreak that recently infected five poultry workers and 1.8 million chickens in northeast Colorado may have been fueled in part by heat wave conditions and slaughtering methods, according to federal health authorities. At a press conference Tuesday, Nirav Shah, principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the human infections occurred as poultry …

Bird flu infections spread among workers at Colorado poultry farm
5 months, 1 week ago

Bird flu infections spread among workers at Colorado poultry farm

LA Times  

A California Department of Food and Agriculture technician swabs a chicken to test for avian influenza. Five poultry workers at a farm in northeast Colorado have been infected by the H5N1 virus, according to Colorado’s department of public health. The workers were culling birds at a commercial poultry farm that had been affected by the virus. “An assessment of these …

Is bird flu in cattle here to stay?
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Is bird flu in cattle here to stay?

LA Times  

Despite assurances from the federal government that bird flu will be eradicated from the nation’s dairy cows, some experts worry the disease is here to stay. Recently, Eric Deeble, USDA acting senior advisor for H5N1 response, said that the federal government hoped to “eliminate the disease from the dairy herd” without requiring vaccines. David Topham, a professor of microbiology and …

Opinion: Bird flu is a real threat. Here’s a way to fight it
6 months ago

Opinion: Bird flu is a real threat. Here’s a way to fight it

LA Times  

If the last couple years are any indication, bird flu is not just for the birds. Livestock transport is regulated at the federal level by the Twenty-Eight Hour Law, which requires animals traveling domestically for more than 28 hours to be offloaded for food, water and rest, and the Animal Health Protection Act, which gives the USDA broad authority to …

Ex-CDC Director Makes Alarming Bird Flu Prediction
6 months ago

Ex-CDC Director Makes Alarming Bird Flu Prediction

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Former CDC Director Robert Redfield suggested that a bird flu pandemic among humans is inevitable ― and would be extremely lethal. “I really do think it’s very likely that we will, at some time ― it’s not a question of if, it’s more of a question of when ― we will have a bird flu pandemic,” Redfield …

In Michigan: Climate change, bird flu and dairy cows — and why "none of us saw this coming"
6 months, 1 week ago

In Michigan: Climate change, bird flu and dairy cows — and why "none of us saw this coming"

Salon  

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. "We didn't expect to find 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. "We want to make sure that we're limiting the further spread of the …

Another Michigan dairy worker has bird flu, the third US case this year
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Another Michigan dairy worker has bird flu, the third US case this year

Associated Press  

Another Michigan farmworker has been diagnosed with bird flu, the third human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows, health officials said Thursday. That worker developed eye symptoms after “a direct splash of infected milk to the eye,” Michigan health officials said in a statement. Neither of the Michigan workers was wearing face shield or other personal protective …

Third U.S. dairy worker comes down with avian flu; officials monitoring farm
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Third U.S. dairy worker comes down with avian flu; officials monitoring farm

LA Times  

Officials announced Thursday that a third U.S. dairy worker has been infected by avian flu, or H5N1. Federal officials said that unlike the first two U.S. cases — whose symptoms were limited to conjunctivitis, or pink eye — this person presented with more typical flu-like respiratory symptoms. They’ve also issued roughly 17,000 PCR tests for cattle — although, that does …

More than four million chickens to be killed after bird flu hits egg farm
6 months, 3 weeks ago

More than four million chickens to be killed after bird flu hits egg farm

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Farmers will have to …

Farmers must kill 4.2 million chickens after bird flu hits Iowa egg farm
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Farmers must kill 4.2 million chickens after bird flu hits Iowa egg farm

Associated Press  

DES MOINES, Iowa — More than 4 million chickens in Iowa will have to be killed after a case of the highly pathogenic bird flu was detected at a large egg farm, the state announced Tuesday. Crews are in the process of killing 4.2 million chickens after the disease was found at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa, making it …

Bird flu is still spreading in dairy cattle — scientists are concerned
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Bird flu is still spreading in dairy cattle — scientists are concerned

NPR  

Bird flu is still spreading in dairy cattle — scientists are concerned Bird flu is still spreading in dairy cattle. Scientists say the recent news of a second human case, detected in Michigan, underscores the need to stay vigilant. A MARTÍNEZ, BYLINE: Bird flu is still here, spreading in dairy cattle. And scientists say that recent news of a second …

Bird flu virus detected in beef from an ill dairy cow, but USDA says meat remains safe
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Bird flu virus detected in beef from an ill dairy cow, but USDA says meat remains safe

New Indian Express  

Bird flu has been detected in beef for the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday, but officials said the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation’s food supply and beef remains safe to eat. Bird flu has been confirmed in dairy cattle herds in nine states, has been found in …

Bird flu virus detected in beef from an ill dairy cow, but USDA says meat remains safe
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Bird flu virus detected in beef from an ill dairy cow, but USDA says meat remains safe

Live Mint  

Bird flu has been detected in beef for the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday, but officials said the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation's food supply and beef remains safe to eat. Bird flu has been confirmed in dairy cattle herds in nine states, has been found in …

Bird flu virus detected in beef from an ill dairy cow, but USDA says meat remains safe
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Bird flu virus detected in beef from an ill dairy cow, but USDA says meat remains safe

Associated Press  

Bird flu has been detected in beef for the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday, but officials said the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation’s food supply and beef remains safe to eat. Bird flu has been confirmed in dairy cattle herds in nine states, has been found in …

US reports 2nd human case of bird flu linked to dairy cow outbreak. Details
7 months ago

US reports 2nd human case of bird flu linked to dairy cow outbreak. Details

Hindustan Times  

A dairy farm worker in Michigan has been diagnosed with the bird flu H5N1 virus - the second case linked to an outbreak in dairy cows in the United States. US reports 2nd human case of bird flu linked to dairy cow outbreak “Two specimens were collected from the patient. The first case of the virus was reported in March …

Clues from bird flu’s ground zero on dairy farms in the Texas Panhandle
7 months ago

Clues from bird flu’s ground zero on dairy farms in the Texas Panhandle

Salon  

In early February, dairy farmers in the Texas Panhandle began to notice sick cattle. The buzz soon reached Darren Turley, executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen: “They said there is something moving from herd to herd.” Nearly 60 days passed before veterinarians identified the culprit: a highly pathogenic strain of the bird flu virus, H5N1. “People tend to …

Michigan farmworker diagnosed with bird flu, becoming 2nd US case tied to dairy cows
7 months ago

Michigan farmworker diagnosed with bird flu, becoming 2nd US case tied to dairy cows

Associated Press  

A Michigan dairy worker has been diagnosed with bird flu — the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows. A nasal swab from the person tested negative for the virus, but an eye swab tested Tuesday was positive for bird flu, “indicating an eye infection,” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said. The worker …

Second human bird flu case linked to dairy detected in Michigan. Public threat remains low, CDC says
7 months ago

Second human bird flu case linked to dairy detected in Michigan. Public threat remains low, CDC says

Salon  

A second dairy worker has tested positive for H5N1, the influenza A virus known as bird flu. For the most part the disease is limited to animals like chickens and cows, as well as wild animals such as seals, although the infected Michigan farmworker is the third confirmed human patient in America since 2022 and the second that is related …

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