Scientists Say Bird Flu Began To Affect Cattle In Texas In Late 2023
Genetic "breadcrumbs," virus particles left behind, suggest H5N1 was spreading in cattle in Texas in December. Meanwhile, researchers are concerned that human bird flu cases among farm workers may be being missed as the outbreak spreads.
Stat:
H5N1 Bird Flu Virus Started Spreading In Cows In Texas In December
As agricultural authorities and epidemiologists try to get their arms around the scope of the latest confounding chapter in the decades-long story of the H5N1 avian influenza virus — its jump into U.S. herds of dairy cattle — they’re turning to the genetic breadcrumbs the virus leaves behind in the animals’ nose, lungs, and, primarily, milk. (Molteni, 5/2)
NPR:
Scientists Worry The U.S. May Be Missing Bird Flu Cases In Farm Workers
Officially, there is only one documented case of bird flu spilling over from cows into humans during the current U.S. outbreak. But epidemiologist Gregory Gray suspects the true number is higher, based on what he heard from veterinarians, farm owners and the workers themselves as the virus hit their herds in his state. "We know that some of the workers sought medical care for influenza-like illness and conjunctivitis at the same time the H5N1 was ravaging the dairy farms," says Gray, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. (Stone, 5/2)
Stat:
Why H5N1 Bird Flu Is Keeping The CDC's Top Flu Scientist Awake
Vivien Dugan isn’t getting much sleep these days. The director of the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dugan is leading the team of CDC scientists that is working with partners — in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and state and local health departments — to respond to the H5N1 bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle. (Branswell, 5/3)
Reuters:
Bird Flu Outbreak In Dairy Cows Fails To Deter US Raw Milk Sellers
U.S. sellers of raw milk appear undeterred by federal health warnings for consumers to avoid drinking unpasteurized milk in light of a bird flu outbreak that has affected dairy herds in nine states and sickened at least one dairy farm worker. Thirty of the 50 U.S. states permit the sale of raw milk, which accounts for less than 1% percent of U.S. milk sales. A nationwide survey of pasteurized milk - heated to kill pathogens - found avian flu virus particles in about 20% of samples tested. (Baertlein, Steenhuysen and Polansek, 5/2)
KFF Health News:
Bird Flu Is Bad For Poultry And Dairy Cows. It’s Not A Dire Threat For Most Of Us — Yet
Headlines are flying after the Department of Agriculture confirmed that the H5N1 bird flu virus has infected dairy cows around the country. Tests have detected the virus among cattle in nine states, mainly in Texas and New Mexico, and most recently in Colorado, said Nirav Shah, principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a May 1 event held by the Council on Foreign Relations. (Maxmen, 5/3)
On tuberculosis and rabies —
CBS News:
1 Dead In Long Beach Tuberculosis Outbreak, 9 Hospitalized
One person died as a result of a tuberculosis outbreak among residents of a single-room occupancy hotel in Long Beach, health officials announced Thursday. Nine other people have been hospitalized. As of April 29, a total of 14 cases have been associated with the outbreak. Investigators have also identified 170 other people who may have been exposed. These potential patients are in the process of being screened, with additional exposures expected to increase. (Radin, 5/2)
USA Today:
Michigan County Confirms Bat With Rabies, More Transmissions To Come
A bat with rabies has been found in a small Michigan county, prompting local health authorities to remind residents about the dangers of the creatures and animal bites in general. As if the start of spring couldn’t get any more batty. Washtenaw County, which has a population of over 300,000, had been “enjoying a longer stretch” with no rabies-positive animals until Monday, the day they confirmed there was a bat with rabies in their midst. The last time a bat with rabies seen in the region was in 2022. (Encinas and DeLetter, 5/2)
On covid —
The Boston Globe:
Moderna COVID Vaccine Sales Plummet 91 Percent
Plunging sales of Moderna’s breakthrough COVID-19 vaccine have touched off a Wall Street debate about the future of a biotech company once seen as the brightest star in the Massachusetts drug-making firmament. Sales of Moderna’s messenger RNA vaccine fell 91 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, a dramatic illustration of waning demand for protection from the virus that caused a global pandemic. The Cambridge company’s earnings report, posted Thursday, continued a downward trend for sales of the biotech’s vaccine, Spikevax. (Saltzman and Weisman, 5/2)
The New York Times:
Thousands Believe Covid Vaccines Harmed Them. Is Anyone Listening?
Within minutes of getting the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, Michelle Zimmerman felt pain racing from her left arm up to her ear and down to her fingertips. Within days, she was unbearably sensitive to light and struggled to remember simple facts. She was 37, with a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and until then could ride her bicycle 20 miles, teach a dance class and give a lecture on artificial intelligence, all in the same day. Now, more than three years later, she lives with her parents. Eventually diagnosed with brain damage, she cannot work, drive or even stand for long periods of time. (Mandavilli, 5/3)
