The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has urged state public health officials to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to livestock workers to prevent the spread of bird flu on Monday.
The CDC's assessment still suggests that the risk of bird flu to the general public is low. However, workers near livestock, such as those at dairy farms, poultry farms, and slaughterhouses, are at a higher risk of getting infected.
The CDC has asked state health departments to work with their state agriculture department and community partners to provide PPE to workers on dairy farms, poultry farms, and in slaughterhouses. This information was shared in a call.
Nirav D. Shah, CDC Principal Deputy Director, suggested that public health officials prioritize providing PPE to workers on farms where cows have been confirmed to have bird flu.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in U.S. cattle, resulting in at least one case of infection in a livestock worker in Texas. While fragments of the virus have been detected in samples of commercially available pasteurized milk, it is not yet clear if this poses a risk of infection.
The Department of Agriculture is currently investigating the presence of bird flu in cattle, although the agency believes that the U.S. meat supply is safe.
