CDC Asks States to Provide Livestock Workers With Protective Gear Amid Bird Flu Concerns

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 25, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday advised state health officials to make personal protective equipment (PPE) available for farm workers in efforts to stem the spread of bird flu.

“CDC asked that jurisdictions make PPE available to workers on dairy farms, poultry farms, and in slaughterhouses,” it stated following CDC Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah’s meeting with health officials.

“Specifically, CDC asked state health departments to work with their state agriculture department counterparts and partners in communities, such as farmworker organizations, that can help coordinate and facilitate PPE distributions,” the agency added.

According to the CDC’s readout, Mr. Shah has recommended that states prioritize the distribution of PPE from their stockpile to workers on farms where dairy herds have been confirmed to be infected with bird flu.

Mr. Shah said that while CDC’s assessment indicates a low immediate risk of avian influenza to the public, safeguarding livestock workers remains important as they may be at higher risk of infection.

“CDC offers real-time support for state and local public health officials, as well as staff who are ready to deploy within 24 hours, if requested,” the agency stated.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported last month that a bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows affected over two dozen herds in eight states, but it said that the risk to the public was low.

“At this time, there continues to be no concern that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health, or that it affects the safety of the interstate commercial milk supply,” the FDA stated.

The strain of bird flu has been found in at least 26 dairy herds in eight U.S. states: Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and South Dakota.

A line of Holstein dairy cows feed through a fence at a dairy farm in Idaho on March 11, 2009. (Charlie Litchfield/AP Photo)

The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in a range of mammals over the last few years, but this is the first time it has been found in cattle, according to federal health and animal agencies.

Human Infections With H5N1 Virus

According to the CDC, most human infections with the H5N1 virus result from “unprotected exposures to sick or dead infected poultry.”

“There is no evidence of sustained human-to-human H5N1 virus transmission, and limited, non-sustained human-to-human H5N1 virus transmission has not been reported worldwide since 2007,” it stated.

The CDC stated that people with “close or prolonged unprotected contact with infected birds or animals or their contaminated environments are at greater risk of infection.”

“Human infections with avian influenza A viruses can happen when enough virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose, or mouth or is inhaled,” the agency stated.

Last month, the Texas Department of State Health Services detected avian influenza in a person who became ill after coming into contact with cows that are likely sick with the bird flu.

On May 1, Michigan issued an emergency order prohibiting the exhibition of all lactating dairy cattle until there are no new cases of the influenza among cattle in the state for at least 60 days.

“No dairy cattle of any age from an infected premises may be exhibited until further notice,” the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development stated in its order.

The order also bars the exhibition of poultry until at least 30 days pass without new cases of bird flu in domestic poultry.

It also imposes other requirements on Michigan dairy and poultry farms, including mandating the designation of a person to act as biosecurity manager, the establishment of cleaning and disinfection practices, and the keeping of records of all vehicles and people who enter farms.

Zachary Stieber and the Associated Press contributed to this report.