Discussion thread: H5N1 avian flu in US dairy cows including human cases (poultry, dairy workers) - March 24, 2024 +

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H5, Idaho

https://data.wastewaterscan.org/trac...ChartId=bae025

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Please see the Report here: https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/...024#post996058

New federal report on Colorado bird flu cases urges health agencies to prepare for more infections among farm workers
Saturday, Aug 31, 2024

A new report on July's cluster of human H5 avian flu cases in Colorado urges U.S. public health agencies to be ready to respond to cases in agricultural workers who often have limited access to health care.

About a month ago, health agencies reported nine cases of the virus in infected farm workers in northeast Colorado, where they were euthanizing millions of infected birds on two poultry farms to prevent further spread. Six of the cases came from one operation, three were from another. That was on top of an additional case detected in a dairy worker earlier in July.

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is widely read in the public health world, focused on that group of farm workers. It was the first known cluster of human influenza A, also known as H5, cases in the U.S. associated with exposure at a poultry operation.

Public health workers with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment screened 663 workers who were culling the birds. Of that, 109 reported mild symptoms like conjunctivitis – commonly known as pink eye. Nine tested positive for the H5 avian flu and 19 tested positive for COVID-19. Those who tested positive for the H5 avian flu were treated with oseltamivir, a medication used to treat flu-like symptoms.

continued: https://www.durangoherald.com/articl...-infections-a/

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H5, Colorado

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Vilsack authorizes first field trial for H5N1 cattle vaccine

Center of Veterinary Biologics accepting submissions for field studies.

Krissa Welshans, Livestock Editor
August 28, 2024

The next step regarding the potential development of an H5N1 virus vaccine for cattle is taking place, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday during his address at the 2024 Farm Progress Show.
...
“We have a number of companies that have been working on vaccines, and one company has now presented sufficient information to the USDA to allow me to authorize, as I did this week, the first field trial of a vaccine for cattle H5N1 for safety purposes,” he told attendees.

It’s the next step in the development of a vaccine, “which hopefully we’ll be able to develop in the near term with the information we get from this trial.”

The trial, he said, will allow USDA to determine whether it can proceed to the next steps necessary “to ensure safe and effective use of the vaccine.”

USDA’s Center of Veterinary Biologics, which is overseeing these efforts, published a notice Wednesday that it is now accepting field trial applications for H5N1 vaccines that may be conducted outside of containment without terminal disposal of milk and other commodities.
...

https://www.feedstuffs.com/nutrition-and-health/vilsack-authorizes-first-field-trial-for-h5n1-cattle-vaccine

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See also:

USDA Announces 1st Field Trial Of An H5N1 Vaccine For Cattle

https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/internet-communication/avian-flu-diary/996014-usda-announces-1st-field-trial-of-an-h5n1-vaccine-for-cattle

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[Greeley is in Weld County]

With Only Gloves To Protect Them, Farmworkers Say They Tend Sick Cows Amid Bird Flu

AUGUST 27, 2024
GREELEY, Colo. — In early August, farmworkers gathered under a pavilion at a park here for a picnic to celebrate Farmworker Appreciation Day. One sign that this year was different from the others was the menu: Beef fajitas, tortillas, pico de gallo, chips, beans — but no chicken.



Farms in Colorado had culled millions of chickens in recent months to stem the transmission of bird flu. Organizers filled out the spread with hot dogs.

No matter the menu, some dairy workers at the event said they don’t exactly feel appreciated. They said they haven’t received any personal protective equipment beyond gloves to guard against the virus, even as they or colleagues have come down with conjunctivitis and flu-like symptoms that they fear to be bird flu.

“They should give us something more,” one dairy worker from Larimer County said in Spanish. He spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear he’d lose his job for speaking out. “What if something happens to us? They act as if nothing is wrong.”

-snip-
One dairy worker in Weld County, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job, said his employer has not offered any protective equipment beyond gloves, even though he works with sick cows and raw milk.

His bosses asked the workers to separate sick cows from the others after some cows produced less milk, lost weight, and showed signs of weakness, he said. But the employer didn’t say anything about the bird flu, he said, or suggest they take any precautions for their own safety.

He said he bought protective goggles for himself at Walmart when his eyes became itchy and red earlier this summer. He recalled experiencing dizziness, headaches, and low appetite around the same time. But he self-medicated and pushed through, without missing work or going to a doctor.

continued: https://kffhealthnews.org/news/artic...-chickens-ppe/

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Influenza A Virus Wastewater Data

Updated August 22, 2024

Main Findings from Wastewater Surveillance

During the two most recent weeks, (August 4, 2024–August 17, 2024), a total of 316 of 858 sites reported data meeting criteria for analysis for influenza A virus for both weeks or for either week, and 1 (<1%) site from 1 state was at a high level (>80th percentile compared to levels recorded at that site between October 1, 2023 and March 2, 2024).
...
Data Table
...
Id:477 8 Illinois Peoria Above Average 70.0 Two-Week Maximum 130,000 2022-10-10
Id:1888 8 Texas Harris Above Average 76.19 Two-Week Maximum 100,000 2022-09-05
Id:1723 9 Oregon Deschutes High 85.71 Two-Week Maximum 90,000 2021-09-26
...

https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/wastewater-surveillance/Flu-A-data.html

[sharon sanders]

Agree 100%.


Helen Branswell
@HelenBranswell
·
2m


There hasn't been a new #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy herd
confirmed by @USDA this week. Only 2 last week. Does this
mean the outbreak is coming under control? Colorado &
Michigan's numbers are probably solid. Elsewhere refusal to test
means we don't know what we're not seeing.

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Live bird migration maps

On August 23 00:00 ET, there were 76 million birds in flight.



Video: https://birdcast.info/migration-tool...igration-maps/

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Arkansas

H5, Harrison, AR

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H5, Colorado

https://data.wastewaterscan.org/trac...rtId=c29170

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MN
H5N1 Cases Likely Exceed Reported Number
Published Today
Red River Farm Network

Minnesota has had a total of eight reported cases of H5N1 avian influenza in dairy cattle. “To my knowledge, many of them are pretty closely related cattle that would have transmitted farm-to-farm,” said Lucas Sjostrom, executive director, Minnesota Milk Producers Association. “Myself, the Board of Animal Health, our state veterinarian and our commissioner of agriculture spoke at Farmfest and we all agreed that we suspect the eight recorded cases are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s really hard to track this disease. The symptoms that we see in cows are the same symptoms that we see every day on dairy farms just from an animal that might be just a little bit sick that’s going to quickly get better. It is a version of the flu after all.”

https://www.rrfn.com/2024/08/19/h5n1-cases-likely-exceed-reported-number/

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[bolding is mine]
Summary of the 27th IPVS and 15th ESPHM-ECPHM: Viruses and parasites
19 August 2024

In this first installment, Antonio Palomo summarizes the presentations and posters from the latest edition of IPVS and ESPHM-ECPHM.

This year's IPVS is taking place alongside the 15th European Symposium on Swine Health Management, following the symposium held a year ago in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The congress chairman was Prof. Dr. Johannes Kauffold who was accompanied by a ten-member organizing committee, an eight-member IPVS steering committee, a seven-member ECPHM steering committee, plus a seven-member committee of German practical veterinarians. The congress was sponsored by 39 national and international companies and partners and there were 45 booths. Some 2,700 delegates from 65 countries attended.
-snip-
The change the swine industry faces today is the collapse of geographical space and the global spread of pathologies. There are currently 58,288 air routes and the legal trade of pigs between continents and countries is constant (from 1980 to 2023 there has been a 13.9-fold increase in the movement of pigs in the world). Therefore, early disease detection is key to preventing it from spreading and becoming an epidemic problem.
-snip-
• The co-circulation of different strains prevents control measures, including vaccines, from being fully effective. Numerous studies focus on the early identification of emerging viral variants so measures can be taken to mitigate the effects of the disease, carrying out predictive models. They are based on six phylogenetic parameters of variants appearing 12 and 24 months earlier and analyze their spatial distribution and genetic diversity. Both intranasal and intramuscular routes of transmission are important in highly virulent strains. The capacity of virus percolation in slurry, passing to groundwater, is shown to be possible and variable according to the virulence of the strains. Trucks transporting live pigs constitute a high risk of farm contagion. A Danish study found no association between serological results from farms near or far from roads.
-snip-
• The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus continues to infect chickens, wild birds, and mammals throughout the world. In mammalian infections, the strains adapt through mutations, replicating in the upper respiratory tract, increasing the risk of infection and establishing itself as an endemic virus in swine.

... https://www.pig333.com/articles/summ...rasites_20612/

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[article is out of PA]
As birds start migrating, are dairy cows safe?

Chris Torres, Editor, American Agriculturist
August 19, 2024

With the fall wild bird migration just around the corner, dairy farms are being urged to get biosecurity plans in place to prevent an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
-snip-

At last week’s Ag Progress Days, representatives from the state’s department of agriculture handed out biosecurity worksheets developed by the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program that has recently been modified for dairy farms.

The 20-page document includes a self-assessment of animals and animal movements, as well as biosecurity controls for people visiting. Only 20 dairy farms have these plans on file with the state, says Seth Confer, the department’s biosecurity program specialist.
-snip-
"Pennsylvania is very unique in that we have so many farms that have dairy and swine, dairy and poultry, poultry and swine, all of it. So, obviously the biggest thing right now is dairies because HPAI has been found in more dairy farms across the country," Confer says

"We're finding it difficult to get stakeholder buy in, if you will. A lot of people are under the impression that it's not in Pennsylvania that we know of, so why do I need to care? One of our biggest pushes is to get people to care," he adds.

... https://www.farmprogress.com/animal-...iry-cows-safe-

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[bolding is mine]

Fewer Cows at Fairs Due to H5N1 Testing
Iowa
8/17/2024 | 8:15 AM CDT

Excerpts:
Some exhibitors at the Iowa State Fair changed from what they would normally take to the dairy show to protect their herds at home from any risk of influenza.

Brandon Franck from DeWitt, Iowa, is the assistant herdsman of LeeAnn's Swiss where they milk about 80 Brown Swiss cows and have exhibited at the Iowa State Fair for many years. He said they decided to leave their fresh cows home from the fair this year. "We opted to not bring any lactating cows this year to the fair because of the testing requirements. We brought four heifers this year for the show," he said

TESTING REQUIREMENTS TO PREVENT SPREAD

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship started a statewide order on July 1 to require all lactating dairy cows to test negative for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) within seven days of moving to the exhibition.
-snip-
As of Aug. 15, all the H5N1 cases in Iowa have been in northwest Iowa. While Franck said it hasn't been an issue in eastern Iowa, where their farm is, they also don't want to see problems.

"In eastern Iowa, it's been a non-issue. We haven't seen any cases, so none of the prevention stuff really applies to us in regard to spread within the herd. We are practicing biosecurity just like we always have," he said.

The heifers they did bring for the show will return to farms where no lactating cows are present, and they hope this will provide another amount of protection from the virus.

"There are people who would have normally brought cows to the fair that didn't this year, and overall, it seems the numbers at the fair are down from a normal year when we don't have any herd health concerns," said Franck. Other producers who did have lactating cows at the fair declined to comment about the process they needed to do to show their animals.

https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2024/08/17/dairy-producers-leave-lactating-cows

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[bolding mine]

Flu virus that killed millions of poultry found in dairy cows. Is it in California?

8/15/24
Excerpt:

For now, California remains free of avian flu. Industry officials credit the coordinated mitigation efforts of dairy operators, scientists and health officials for holding the line and keeping the virus out of the state....


California, lead by the San Joaquin Valley, dominates U.S. milk production, pumping out more than 4 billion pounds annually. In the Valley, Tulare County reigns as the number one milk producer in the nation, supplying about one-fourth of the state’s production.

Extra vigilant

Tulare County dairy farmer Tom Barcellos has remained extra vigilant since news broke of the avian flu. Dairy operators in California are no strangers to protecting against diseases. In 2012 a dairy cow in Tulare County was discovered to have Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

The cow was euthanized and was not slated for the ground beef market. Nationwide, about 20% of the U.S. ground beef supply comes from dairy cows.

Barcellos keeps a close watch over his cow’s health and maintains strict guidelines for who is allowed on his dairy. His dairy workers also regularly use hand washes and sanitizing products when working around the cows.

Recently, Barcellos sold some of his bulls and when the buyer came to pick them up, the driver sprayed his trailer, including tires, with a disinfectant before entering the dairy.

“The folks who come onto our dairy are taking precautions, and we are as well,” Barcellos said. “If that virus comes into California, it is not going to happen without the industry having taken precautions.”

... https://ca.style.yahoo.com/news/flu-...153000407.html