New #BirdFlu variant found in #DairyCattle. Can #H5N1 be transmitted to humans? [Apparently, the answer is, "YES!"]

According to the the US Department of Agriculture, this is the first ever detection of this bird flu virus variant in dairy cattle.

by Jonathan Limehouse, February 6, 2025, updated February 7, 2025

"The variant of bird flu that killed a Louisiana resident has now been found in dairy cows. Until now, the human cases of bird flu traced to cattle have been mild, mostly #EyeInfections.

"But the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that a strain previously found only in #WildBirds has turned up in dairy herds in #Nevada ‒ raising concerns that future human infections could be more serious.

"Bird flu has triggered a nationwide egg shortage and price hikes in recent months, as infected chickens had to be put to death. It has also coursed through dairy farms in 16 states since last March, according to the USDA, reducing milk production. More than 60 #farmworkers on both dairy and poultry farms have been infected since then, all of whom recovered.

"But one Louisiana resident died last month after contracting bird flu from a backyard flock. That person, who was older and chronically ill, but not otherwise identified, was infected with the D.1.1 variant now seen in the Nevada cows. A Canadian teenager hospitalized with bird flu in November was also infected with D.1.1.

"#D11 is common among the #starlings that migrate through #Nevada in the winter and might have carried the virus into the state, the Nevada Department of Agriculture said in a social media post.

"The USDA said it is working with the state department of agriculture to investigate the Nevada outbreak and limit its spread.

"Until last week, all bird flu in dairy herds had been identified as the B3.13 variant, which was believed to have come from wild birds in late 2023 or early 2024."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2025/02/06/bird-flu-strain-dairy-cows-humans-transmitted/78290857007/
#HPAINews #HPAIVariant #B313 #BirdFlu #BirdMigrations #StarlingMigrations #Cattle #HPAI #AvianInfluenza #BirdFlu #USHealth #CDCCensorship

YIKES!

#Colorado #BirdFlu cases show how #ExtremeHeat may be complicating efforts to control the virus

Searing heat may have played a role in the infections of five workers who fell ill last week while culling a large flock of chickens infected with the #H5N1 virus in Colorado, health officials said Tuesday.

By Brenda Goodman, CNN
Published Jul 17, 2024

"Searing heat may have played a role in the infections of five workers who fell ill last week while culling a large flock of chickens infected with the H5N1 virus in Colorado, health officials said Tuesday.

“'At the time transmission is thought to have occurred, Colorado was experiencing 104-plus-degree heat,' and it was probably hotter inside the barns, said Dr. #NiravShah, principal deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC is investigating the outbreak along with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

"This made the use of personal protective equipment (#PPE) a challenge, Shah said.

"In addition, to bring down temperatures in the sweltering barns, large industrial fans were blowing, moving air as well as dust and feathers. #Feathers from infected birds are known to carry the H5N1 virus.

“'We understand those large fans … were moving so much air … the workers were finding it hard to maintain a good seal or a good fit either between the mask or with eye protection,' Shah said.

"Four of the Colorado cases have been confirmed by the CDC. A fifth tested positive at a state lab and has been sent to the CDC for confirmation.

"The incident has quickly doubled the number of #FarmWorkers known to be infected with H5N1 virus in the United States, and it is the largest number of workers known to be infected in connection with a single farm.

"In 2022, a poultry worker tested positive for H5N1 in Colorado. This year, four other farm workers have tested positive — one in #Texas, two in #Michigan and another in #Colorado — after working with infected #DairyCattle. Cases are believed to be undercounted because farm workers are often reluctant to be tested for fear of losing work and income."

Read more: https://www.accuweather.com/en/health-wellness/colorado-bird-flu-cases-show-how-extreme-heat-may-be-complicating-efforts-to-control-the-virus/1670143

#MigrantWorkers #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #BirdFlu #ProtectFarmWorkers

MONTPELIER - #Vermont agriculture officials say the state’s milk supply is #safe. It comes after new federal #regulations requiring #dairycattle moving between states to be #tested for the #birdflu virus.

It came as health #officials said they had detected #inactivated remnants of the #virus known as Type A #h5n1 in samples taken from #milk during #processing and from #storeshelves.

https://www.wcax.com/2024/04/25/vt-ag-officials-say-milk-supply-safe-bird-flu/

@Snowshadow