Rate of dairy workers with antibodies to bird flu significantly higher than known cases of virus
Eight out of 115 dairy workers, or 7%, who worked with H5N1-infected cows in Michigan and Colorado have antibodies to bird flu, according to a new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – a rate significantly higher than known cases of the highly pathogenic virus, which means existing efforts are not protecting, diagnosing, and treating people at risk, experts said.
It could become even harder to detect cases amid the fall migration of wild birds, the upcoming human flu season, and repercussions of the second Trump administration’s proposed policies to curtail public health and expand deportation of immigrants, who serve as the backbone of the agricultural workforce in the US.