CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections
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 director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new guidance comes after blood tests for 115 farmworkers in Michigan and Colorado showed that eight workers — or 7% — had antibodies that indicated previous infection with the virus known as Type A H5N1 influenza. Last week, the Agriculture Department said a pig at an Oregon farm was confirmed to have bird flu, the first time the virus was detected in U.S. swine.
Discover Related
70K chickens being culled in Siddipet due to bird flu
Regional surveillance centre for Avian Influenza proposed at GMC
Andhra Pradesh Records 1st Bird Flu Death, Two-Year-Old Girl Succumbs In AIIMS-Mangalagiri
Mass layoffs are underway at the nation’s public health agencies
Mass layoffs are underway at the nation’s public health agencies
US plans to import eggs from S Korea, Turkey amid soaring prices
Dr. Jerome Adams: America is getting a crash course in herd immunity
Jharkhand: After Ranchi, bird flu outbreak reported in Bokaro
Bird flu: Mass culling in three districts in Karnataka
One more US company recalls raw pet food as bird flu continues to infect cats