USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reports that after a summer pause, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has returned in significant numbers.
Since Sept. 1, another 3.88 million birds have been lost either to the virus or by culling to prevent its spread. The most recent outbreaks affected 66
Continue Reading Pause in bird flu outbreak is over as commercial and backyard flocks have been hit hard
— OPINION —
This column was originally published by MedPage Today and is reprinted here with permission.
Colleagues, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. Or, for a true reality check, just scan the Department of Agriculture’s frequently-updated map and
Continue Reading Could avian flu cause our next pandemic?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has signed an agreement with Alveo Technologies to develop a handheld avian flu molecular diagnostic for humans that returns results in 30-45 minutes and is accurate on par with PCR tests.
No rapid tests exist in the U.S. that specifically test for the
Continue Reading CDC signs Alveo Technologies for fast, handheld test to detect avian flu in humans
A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that some dairy farm employees showed signs of infection, even when they didn’t report feeling sick. The CDC concluded that more bird flu testing of dairy farm employees is required.
According to Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDC’s principal
Continue Reading Bird flu study findings have CDC calling for more testing of dairy farm employees
The Food and Drug Administration is partnering with the University of Georgia to test dairy supplies for avian influenza.
“This virus and its spread are concerning,” said S. Mark Tompkins, director and principal investigator of the university’s Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research. “I worry about the changing ecology of
Continue Reading University of Georgia helps with testing of milk for bird flu; warns of dangers of raw milk
A letter, sent last week to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack from major representatives of the U.S. dairy, turkey, and egg industries, may have had an impact.
Vilsack has reacted by telling the 2024 Farm Progress Show that trials are beginning for an HSN1 virus vaccine for cattle.
The letter
Continue Reading USDA begins field trials for bird flu vaccines for cattle
The Food and Drug Administration has completed a second round of peer-reviewed testing, finding that milk and other dairy products that undergo pasteurization are safe for human consumption because the H5N1 avian virus is killed.
While pasteurization is effective in making milk and milk products safe from the virus, raw
Continue Reading FDA completes another round of tests, finding that pasteurized milk products are safe
At a time when friends don’t let friends drink raw milk and some world-renowned scientists with deep expertise in the H5N1 virus think the situation is serious enough that it should be illegal to sell milk products that are not pasteurized, not much is happening.
The raw milk business is
Continue Reading Risk warnings are not pausing raw milk consumption
A man working on a dairy farm in northeast Colorado has become the fourth human in the United States to test positive for bird flu this year. He had direct contact with infected cattle, and his symptoms included pink eye.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reports that
Continue Reading Colorado dairy worker is the fourth human this year to contract and recover from H5N1
The risk to public health remains low, but concern about where avian flu will end up remains on the rise.
Since March, the number of infections has reached 94 dairy herds in 12 states, and former CDC Director Robert Redfield predicts the end will come in a bird flu pandemic. It’s
Continue Reading Bird flu risk to humans remains low, but is still a high concern