The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday asked state public health officials to make personal protective equipment (PPE) available to livestock workers to combat the spread of bird flu.
The risk of bird flu to the general public still remains low, according to the CDC assessment, but workers who are in close proximity to livestock, such as on dairy farms, poultry farms and slaughterhouses, remain at higher risk of infection.
“CDC has asked jurisdictions to make PPE available to workers on dairy farms, poultry farms, and slaughterhouses. Specifically, CDC has asked state health departments to work with their state department of agriculture counterparts and partners in communities, such as farmworker organizations , who can help coordinate and facilitate the distribution of PPE,” read a readout of the call.
CDC Principal Deputy Director Nirav D. Shah recommended to public health officials that PPE be prioritized for workers on farms where cows have been confirmed to be infected with bird flu.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in US cattle, leading to at least one infection in a Texas cattle farmer. Although virus fragments have been detected in samples of commercially available pasteurized milk, regulators have not yet determined whether these findings indicate a risk of infection.
The Department of Agriculture is also currently using beef for avian influenza, although the agency has said it is confident that the U.S. beef supply is safe.
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