Waukeshahealthinsurance.com-
–
Avian flu is infecting a growing number of cattle herds in the US, and these infections are only the second known to occur in humans. in the nationbasis US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It's not spread person-to-person in the US, but it is. Occasional cases People who share the bird flu virus in other parts of the world, so the CDC says it's monitoring the situation closely. Like other viruses, HIV
The agency's deputy director general, Dr Nirav D Shah, said on Wednesday: “Overall, the risk to the public is low.” But make no mistake, the CDC is alarmed by these findings. We are taking this situation extremely seriously and are working proactively to ensure that the public health response is robust.
The risk is thought to be low in part because when people contract this version of the virus, they typically have close contact with sick animals. The infection usually stops there.
“So it can go from a bird or a chicken to a human, and a human can actually transmit it to a mate, for example, but what we don't see anymore is human-to-human transmission.” he said.
A recent case – a man exposed to dairy cattle in Texas It is considered contaminated. – It was easy, officials said, but people could get seriously ill and die from the disease.
“So while we don't see ongoing transmission, we take this very seriously, and that's why the CDC stepped in,” Shah said.
Shah said the agency and its local public health partners have been on the lookout for anyone who may have had contact with these flocks and may have symptoms of bird flu. They are only testing people who may be symptomatic because they are concerned about false positives.
While the CDC says that about 15 people have been tested in this outbreak, only one has the virus.
The Texas patient's only symptom was red eyes, which the CDC says is not typically associated with the flu, which often causes a cough, fever or shortness of breath.
“From that point of view, we want to test a lot of people rather than a few people, which is why we're exposed and green-lit the test for anyone who has symptoms,” Shah said.
Doctors treated the Texas patient with an antiviral drug commonly used for the common flu virus, and the man went into remission.
If the virus mutates and spreads between humans, the CDC says it can use products to detect and prevent the virus. The strain that came back from the recently sick person is similar to the version circulating in sick cows and birds.
We did not observe any changes in the genome that would suggest a reduced efficacy of either vaccine. [the antiviral drug] Tamiflu or diagnostic tests,” Shah said.
In March, scientists found the first cows infected with the virus at two dairy farms in Texas, the first cows to be infected with bird flu. There may be many people. Since the US Department of Agriculture said they have been exposed to the virus Monday He reported finding the flu in a herd of dairy cows in New Mexico and five more in Texas. This is the first time the virus has been detected in cattle in New Mexico.
A total of seven flocks in Texas, two in Kansas, one in Michigan and one in New Mexico have been affected by bird flu, the USDA said. It was also suspected in a herd in Idaho, but those test results are still being analyzed.
Since the outbreak of bird flu in January 2022, more than 82 million poultry in 48 states have been affected, he said. CDC. Cases were also found in 9,253 wild birds, although the actual number is probably much higher.
The virus has been detected in relatively few mammals, although these numbers are also growing. Goats, ducks, geese, deer, foxes, raccoons, opossums, skunks, pet cats and other animals have tested positive.
Dr. Thomas Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said it was worrying to see the virus jumping to cows.
It's important whenever there's a change — and this is the first time we know of a change in cattle, and this is only the second human case in the U.S. — that every time there's a change like that, we're going to investigate that and make sure it's nothing more than a one-off industrial exposure. We have to, he said.
Shah said people shouldn't be alarmed by the virus' official name: highly pathogenic avian influenza.
“That name alone, can raise the blood pressure of many people who read or watch it. “The 'highly pathogenic' part of the name refers to its ferocity and virulence on birds, not humans,” he said. “Obviously, if you're a migratory bird, this virus is bad news.”
Ducks and geese can carry the virus without seeming sick, but Poultry farming Not always lucky. It carries highly pathogenic avian influenza “Very high death rate.” between chickens and turkeys, and farmers are concerned that the disease continues to spread despite best efforts to contain it.
Because the virus spreads easily and can kill birds quickly, farmers often have to cull even uninfected birds to prevent widespread outbreaks.
on tuesday, Michigan Cases reported in a commercial poultry facility. On Wednesday, the nation's largest egg producer found bird flu at a Texas facility.
Cal-Maine Foods said it will have to cut the human population of 1.6 million chickens and 337,000 pullets at its Texas facility. According to the state Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called it “absolutely devastating news for Cal-Marin and the entire Panhandle region, which has already been through a lot.”
People who work with sick birds should be careful, Inglesby says, but not everyone should get rid of their bird feeders. Studies show Bird flu can be transmitted to songbirds, but those that commonly gather at feeders — such as cardinals, sparrows and bluebirds — and those seen on the road, such as pigeons and crows, do not typically carry bird flu viruses to humans. According to the CDC.
However, “it's always a good idea to wash your hands when handling wild birds,” Inglesby said.
With cows, the recommendation is to keep sick animals in a special pen, and they typically recover within seven to 10 days.
Based on current knowledge, breeders should not kill sick cows, Shah said. None of the cows in the sick herds had died of the virus as of Wednesday, he said.
The cows contracted the virus when they encountered wild migratory birds; even if USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service Based on the spread of the disease among herds in Michigan, he said, cow-to-cow transmission cannot be ruled out. The virus does not appear to have any respiratory transmission, but can be spread through contaminated milk.
“That seems to be the leading theory at this point,” Inglesby said.
Although the virus can be found in large quantities of milk from sick cows, it does not pose a threat to people who drink milk or eat dairy products because most milk in the United States is pasteurized and sold within the state. Lines. The pasteurization process removes viruses before the product is released to the market.
The US Food and Drug Administration continues to remind people that raw milk a A serious health hazard For those who drink.
“Prior to the current situation, the position of the CDC and the FDA was far from raw milk. “What we've done now is add a symbol to that and say, 'And we really mean it,'” Shah said.
Typically, the U.S. has peak milk production in the spring, the USDA said, and the infection in cows should not harm the nation's food supply. The agency said milk lost from symptomatic cattle is “very limited” and has a significant impact, so it shouldn't affect milk prices.
The USDA and CDC, along with the industry and local public health departments, will continue to monitor the situation and encourage veterinarians and farmers to report the virus quickly to limit its impact, he said.