Top line
An ongoing outbreak of avian flu among dairy cows in the United States has led to three confirmed human cases among dairy workers, and while there are no confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission, experts warn that protective measures Safety such as masks, vaccines and safety glasses will be put in place. necessary if a pandemic is declared due to the deadly nature of the virus.
An expert inspects a dead mallard duck in a laboratory.
Highlights
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Forbes that it is monitoring human and animal exposure to H5N1 avian flu and closely monitoring the situation, although “the current risk to public health is low.”
Although rare, avian flu usually affects humans who have been in contact with infected birds, and there are no confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission.
The virus can spread from animals to humans through airborne transmission and contact with infected surfaces, Dr. Jessica Justman, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist at Columbia University, told Forbes, although the exact transmission process is unclear. is not fully understood.
Former CDC Director Robert Redfield, who helped oversee the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic, told NewsNation earlier this month that a bird flu pandemic was inevitable, so “it doesn’t “It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when.”
Redfield cited the high mortality rate of avian flu as a cause for concern if a pandemic were to be declared: of the 889 human cases confirmed between 2003 and May, 52% resulted in death, according to data from the Organization world health.
The WHO defines pandemics as large-scale epidemics that can claim millions of lives, disrupt societies and devastate economies; it will not declare a bird flu pandemic until the virus causes multiple outbreaks in at least one country and spreads to another with high mortality rates in at least one segment of the population.
Earlier this year, the CDC began including H5N1 in its influenza A wastewater surveillance data in an effort to better monitor the spread of avian influenza, but due to limitations it is not possible to distinguish it from other influenza A viruses and tests cannot determine the source. of the virus, so it could come from a human, an animal or an animal by-product.
What safety measures can be put in place if a bird flu pandemic is declared?
Experts have warned that if a bird flu pandemic is declared, safety measures will need to be put in place to mitigate the spread. Dr. Donal Bisanzio, senior epidemiologist at the nonprofit research institute RTI International, told Forbes that methods such as masking and social distancing should be implemented first. “These are all types of interventions that we need to put in place to buy time for the vaccine,” Bisanzio said. Justman told Forbes that new methods, like protective eyewear, could be effective safety measures, especially for farmworkers who have daily contact with potentially infectious animals. Indeed, all three U.S. dairy farmers infected with bird flu had eye symptoms such as pink eyes and irritation, indicating that the virus can spread when humans touch or rub their eyes with infected hands. She also pointed to a recent CDC study on avian flu that found that ferrets (which, as mammals, have respiratory tracts similar to humans), were infected after ocular exposure. Dr. Maciej Boni, an epidemiologist and professor at Temple University, told Forbes that he did not think safety measures against a bird flu pandemic would be similar to those put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, because experts do not yet know how the measures will be taken. the virus will behave if it mutates and starts transmitting between humans. “H5N1 is not 10 or 20 times more deadly (than COVID-19), it is 1,000 times more deadly,” Boni said.
Are there vaccines against human bird flu?
There are several avian flu vaccines approved by the FDA, including those manufactured by Sequirs and Biomedical Corporation of Quebec, a subsidiary of GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals. The United States has a stockpile of FDA-approved avian flu vaccines, but they are not enough to vaccinate the entire country. Sequirs said she expects 150 million vaccines to be ready within six months of the announcement of a human avian flu pandemic. “I think the right course of action is just to pre-make several 100 million doses of vaccines and have them ready,” Boni said of pandemic preparedness. Sequirs also announced in May that it had been selected by a Department of Health and Human Services brand to create nearly 5 million doses of its avian flu vaccines, as part of a form of pre-pandemic preparation. Bisanzio stressed that better communication between public health agencies and the public will be needed for the avian flu vaccine rollout because “there has been a lot of misinformation (about the COVID-19 pandemic)
and that caused problems with the vaccine rollout, and some people didn’t even want to get vaccinated,” he said.
Key context
As of May 21, more than 97 million poultry (mostly chickens) in 48 states have been euthanized due to avian flu since 2022, and cases have been confirmed in 118 dairy herds in 12 states, according to data from the CDC (unlike chickens). , cows appear to be recovering from the virus). The Agriculture Ministry believes wild migratory birds are behind the outbreaks in cows, recently raising fears among experts that the virus could mutate and spread more easily in humans. Jeremy Farrar, WHO’s chief scientist, called bovine infections in the United States “very concerning,” urging public health officials to continue to closely monitor the situation “as it could evolve into transmission of different ways “. Although there is no evidence that a human has contracted bird flu from eating infected meat, the USDA urges people to eat meat prepared at safe temperatures. To be properly cooked, whole cuts of beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, ground meat should be cooked to 160 degrees, and poultry should be cooked to 165 degrees. Rare and medium-rare steaks fall below this temperature. According to the CDC, properly cooked eggs with an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit kill bacteria and viruses, including bird flu. Consumption of unpasteurized dairy products is also not recommended.
Further reading
Avian flu (H5N1) explained: child infected with another strain – second human case in India (Forbes)