Bird Flu

Avian flu is in cows in the US - is it inching closer to humans? The H5N1 strain of avian flu has been around since 1996, but until now its been largely confined to animals. But it has now jumped to cattle in America and some think it means we are inching towards eventual human-to-human infection, with potentially serious consequences. BBC News

... the (spread of the virus between states seems to be down to the movement of infected cows across state lines. ...

Reporting and surveillance of cattle movement in the US is poor compared with the UK and Europe where the BSE outbreaks of the mid-nineties led to all cows having to be tagged.

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Michigan farmworker diagnosed with bird flu, becoming 2nd US case tied to dairy cows A Michigan farmworker has been diagnosed with bird flu in what is the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows. AP News

The male worker had been in contact with cows at a farm with infected animals. He experienced mild eye symptoms and has recovered, U.S. and Michigan health officials said in announcing the case Wednesday.

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CDC continues to respond to the public health challenge posed by a multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, or “A(H5N1) virus,” in dairy cows and other animals in the United States. CDC is working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state public health and animal health officials, and other partners using a One Health approach. USDA is now reporting that 51 dairy cattle herds in nine U.S. states have confirmed cases of A(H5N1) virus infections in cattle. There have been no additional human cases detected since the one recent case from Texas was reported on April 1, 2024. ^[1][2]