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

[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-health/as-birds-start-migrating-are-dairy-cows-safe-
 
[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/sum...15th-esphm-ecphm-viruses-and-parasites_20612/
 
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/


​
 
WastewaterSCAN Dashboard

H5, Colorado

​
image.png
​https://data.wastewaterscan.org/tra...BX0g1eEaKAQZjMjkxNzA=&selectedChartId=c29170​
 
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
 
[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/article/colorado-farmworkers-bird-flu-dairies-chickens-ppe/
 
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/nutritio...zes-first-field-trial-for-h5n1-cattle-vaccine
-----------------------------
See also:

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

https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...1st-field-trial-of-an-h5n1-vaccine-for-cattle
​
 
Please see the Report here: https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...wo-facilities-—-colorado-july-2024#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/artic...th-agencies-to-prepare-for-more-infections-a/
 
[see additional Tweet at bottom. bolding is mine]
Avian flu in cows and poultry continues to fly high in the U.S.
Published: 48 mins ago


Few states or nations put on a dairy cattle show like the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, where 50,000 visitors and vendors from nearly 100 countries will see 1,800 owners exhibiting 2,500 or so of the best dairy cattle in the galaxy.

Organizers of this year’s Expo, however, are working overtime to keep one party crasher out — highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu. New rules, new testing and new paperwork for the Oct. 1-4 gathering are all aimed to keep it bird flu-free.

“(However,) in the unfortunate event of a positive Influenza A individual cow test,” explained Expo organizers Aug. 21, “we have been informed by the (state of) Wisconsin … that all cattle on site … will be temporarily quarantined.”

Moreover, if deemed necessary, “additional quarantine measures could be added.” Once the animals are allowed to leave the state for home, further quarantine may be required by other U.S. states and Canadian provinces.
-snip-

The U.S. Department of Agriculture does offer voluntary testing of milk to determine the presence of bird flu in any dairy herd. So far, though, “of the roughly 24,000 farms that sell milk,” reported the New York Times recently, “only 30 are participating.”

Food Fix updated those low numbers in late August to note that now USDA “only shows 26 herds are participating,” or 0.1 percent of all herds nationwide. USDA, however, told the Times that the poor turnout shows “the system is working as designed.”

Indeed, for 26 herds, which only leaves 23,974 or so herds where it’s not working.
​
https://www.producer.com/opinion/avian-flu-in-cows-and-poultry-continues-to-fly-high-in-the-u-s/
​
 
Why won’t California name 3 Central Valley dairies with avian flu? They blame ‘lookie-loos’

BY ROBERT RODRIGUEZ
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 06, 2024 5:22 AM

Federal and state officials are keeping tight-lipped about the location of three Central Valley dairies that have tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza.

And Michael Payne, a food animal veterinarian with the UC Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security, fully supports the practice.

Payne said revealing the counties or the name of the infected dairies increases the risk for potentially spreading the virus.
...
“When you are talking about biosecurity, what you don’t want is a bunch of lookie-loos, industry people and non-industry people coming and going from the dairy,”
...
Read more at: https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article291949435.html#storylink=cpy


​
 
The USDA avian influenza reports for poultry, backyard birds, wild birds, and mammals list the counties affected by avian influenza. Although the livestock reports do not mention the counties, they are nevertheless included in the WOAH reports.
 
Related to:
US - Human H5 bird flu case confirmed in Missouri (DHSS, September 06, 2024)
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...-confirmed-in-missouri-dhss-september-06-2024

‘This is how pandemics start’: H5 bird flu in Missouri patient with no known link to sick animals
...
Maeve Cullinan,
GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY REPORTER
9 September 2024 • 5:41pm
...
The case was detected through the state’s seasonal flu surveillance system, indicating there could be more flying under the radar.
...
The main worry among experts is that an unexplained H5 infection raises the possibility of person-to-person transmission, something which the World Health Organization (WHO) warned would be of “enormous concern” due to its potential to trigger a global pandemic.

“This is how pandemics start,” Kruitka Kuppali, a spokesperson for the Infectious Disease Society of America and former WHO medical officer, told The Telegraph. “We need to scale up preparedness and response efforts.”
...
The 2009 swine flu pandemic was first detected in a similar way when two children in California with no known contact with pigs or each other were diagnosed with an H1N1 flu infection, previously circulating in swine.

Another theory is that the person consumed raw milk infected with H5N1, which has killed several barnyard cats who are thought to have consumed the liquid off farm floors in the US this year.
...
Lisa Cox, a spokesperson for the Missouri Health Department, said that the patient had not reported consuming raw milk. ...
...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-...e-in-missouri-patient-with-no-link-to-animal/
 
Yet another person got bird flu. Now should I freak out?
...
by Keren Landman, MD
Sep 10, 2024, 12:31 PM CST
...
What experts are worrying about

The Missouri patient was sick enough to be hospitalized
...
The Missouri health department noted the adult patient “has underlying medical conditions,” but we don’t know their age or other risk factors.
...
It’s a promising sign that since the Missouri patient was hospitalized, there has not been a big bloom of flu-like illness in the state. “I don’t think there’s a whole iceberg out there that we don’t see,” says Nuzzo, but more details about the case would put her and other experts at ease.
...
Two weeks elapsed between the patient’s hospitalization and public health authorities’ announcements about the case

That long delay, says Nuzzo, suggests the US hasn’t switched on its sensitive flu surveillance system that would more rapidly identify bird flu infections in people with fever, cough, muscle aches, and other flu-like symptoms.
...
There’s very little transparency about how much infection is taking place on US dairy farms
...
Although bird flu has been reported in Missouri only in poultry farms and not on dairy farms, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there, said Nuzzo. It just means farmers may not be testing their workers or cows for the virus, or they aren’t reporting it.
...
https://www.vox.com/even-better/370804/bird-flu-h5n1-missouri-human-cows-raw-milk
 
Unprecedented Bird Flu Levels Detected in Texas Wastewater: 'Concerning'

Published Sep 13, 2024 at 1:22 PM EDT

By Pandora Dewan
Senior Science Reporter

Unprecedented levels of the bird flu virus have been detected in wastewater samples from across Texas, raising alarms that the disease is adapting to infect a new host.

Before March 2024, wastewater samples from across the state had tested negative for the virus. However, between March and July, 10 out of the 10 cities tested—at 22 of 23 wastewater test sites—tested positive for the virus.

"These results need to be taken very seriously, especially given the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic we all just went through," Anthony W. Maresso, the Joseph L. Melnick Chair of Virology at Baylor College of Medicine, told Newsweek.

"We don't want to create unnecessary concern, but it would be a mistake to dismiss the fact that avian flu is now in mammals at a level that we have not before observed. This means the virus is learning to adapt to this new host and that can mean a greater chance of it adapting to humans to transmit better and possibly cause disease or another flu pandemic.
...
While symptoms have so far been relatively mild, it is vital that we continue to monitor the situation. For this reason, Maresso and colleagues used state-of-the-art viral DNA detection to monitor wastewater levels of the virus across Texas. Their findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

...https://www.newsweek.com/unprecedented-bird-flu-texas-wastewater-1953619

------------------------------
Hat Tip to Tetano
Sequencing-Based Detection of Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Wastewater in Ten Cities

Published September 11, 2024
...
The widespread detection of influenza A(H5N1) virus in wastewater from 10 U.S. cities is troubling. Although the exact origin of the signal is currently unknown, the lack of clinical burden along with genomic information suggests multiple animal sources. Wastewater monitoring should be considered as a sentinel surveillance tool that augments our detection of evolutionary adaptations of concern. To aid efforts to identify the source and promote efforts to mitigate the next flu pandemic, we suggest expanded, agnostic sequencing of wastewater, livestock and their products, exposed agricultural workers (including fecal and urine samples), and migrating birds along major flyways.
...

https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...enza-a-h5n1-virus-in-wastewater-in-ten-cities
 
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