#18,023 Earlier today the HHS hosted a teleconference with representatives from the CDC, FDA, USDA APHIS, and NIAID on the growing concerns of HPAI in dairy cattle, and while I was unable to attend I believe Lisa Schnirring will have details later today on the CIDRAP News site. About an hour after the meeting, the USDA emailed out the following statement describing several steps - including new federal regulations on the testing of lactating cattle prior to interstate movement - that agency is taking to address the problem. Today's statement also confirms (without providing details ..read more

  #18,022 As we've discussed many times (see here, here, and here), highly specific and sensitive PCR testing is great for detecting the presence of pathogens like influenza A, but it can also detect non-viable virus particles as well.    So, despite the furor overnight in the media about the discovery of `HPAI virus' in pasteurized milk, we don't know whether it presents a public health hazard or not.   It does, however, deflate repeated claims by the USDA/FDA that: Dairies are required to send only milk from healthy animals into processing for human ..read more

#18,021 Although the USDA and FDA continue to reassure the American public that the food chain (including milk) is safe from HPAI H5N1, there remain unanswered questions about how widespread the virus is in cattle, and how effective regular pasteurization is in killing the virus.  While the extend of the spread in cattle remains unknown, 3 days ago the New York Times carried an article (see Scientists Fault Federal Response to Bird Flu Outbreaks on Dairy Farms) where they cite (so far, unverified) reports of positive tests from asymptomatic cattle in North Caroli ..read more

USDA - 32 Outbreaks of H5N1 in Cattle across 8 States   #18,019 The USDA, which has been criticized for being slow to release genetic sequences from H5N1 viruses affecting cattle (see Helen Branswell's STAT report) - published 239 genetic sequences on Sunday evening on the SRA - NCBI (nih.gov) website. Sample From Database        Sequences posted are from cattle, cats, chickens, skunk, raccoon, grackle, blackbird, and goose. However, some important epidemiological details on each sample (e.g. location, collection dates, etc) are not immediately apparen ..read more

“History Doesn't Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes” – Mark Twain. #18,018 While the recent spillover of HPAI H5N1 into dairy cows in at least 8 states, and the discovery of `high concentrations' of the virus in raw milk, has been called unprecedented, it isn't that far afield from the events of a decade ago, when the MERS coronavirus was found to be endemic in Arabian camels, and shed in camel's milk and urine.  WHO Update On MERS-CoV Transmission Risks From Animals To Humans Eurosurveillance: MERS-CoV Antibodies & RNA In Camel’s Milk – Qatar  CIDRAP: More Evidence for Ca ..read more

H7N9 Epidemic Waves - June 14th 2017 - Credit FAO #18,017 Seven years ago - long before COVID emerged and at a time when HPAI H5N1 had all but disappeared from the map - the world held its breath and watched as China's 5th, and largest, wave of H7N9 raised pandemic concerns around the globe.    LPAI H7N9, which had emerged in the spring of 2013, was virtually asymptomatic in poultry, but could be deadly in humans, and over 5 years had infected at least 1,500 people in China, killing roughly 40% of them.   In late 2016, an HPAI versio ..read more

 Credit Wikipedia #18,016 Just over 13 months ago the UK government announced (see below) the deaths of 10 captive bush dogs (in November of 2022) apparently due to HPAI H5N1.  At the time it wasn't clear why there had been a 5-month delay in detecting the virus.  Research and analysis Confirmed findings of influenza of avian origin in captive mammals Published 17 March 2023 Applies to England, Scotland and Wales Details of confirmed findings of influenza of avian origin in captive mammals in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). South American bush dogs, March 2023 ..read more

 #18,015 Although we've seen similar debates with other outbreaks, during the opening months of the COVID pandemic there was much disagreement (see COVID-19: The Airborne Division) over whether SARS-CoV-2 was an `airborne' virus, and what levels of personal protections (masks/gowns/gloves/eye protection) were appropriate for medical workers and for the public.  Six months into the crisis, 200+ scientists from around the world signed an open letter to the WHO, urging them to reconsider their stance on the airborne spread of the virus. It is Time to Address Airborne Transm ..read more

  #18,014 Yesterday we looked at recommendations for protective gear to be worn by veterinarians handling potentially infected cats (see CDC Guidance for Veterinarians: Evaluating & Handling Cats Potentially Exposed to HPAI H5N1),and today we have recommendations from the CDC for PPEs for farm workers who may be in contact with infected animals, or their environment.  I'm no farmer, but I have to wonder how practical donning & doffing PPE, and trying to work with farm animals in the summer heat while wearing this kind of attire, really is.   But practicaliti ..read more

  #18,013 Yesterday researchers from the Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, at Iowa State University published a preprint with additional detailed information the HPAI H5N1 virus that spilled over from birds into cows - and a human and several cats - in Texas earlier this year (see graphic above).  While the exact route of introduction of the virus to cattle remains unknown, based on the available evidence, the authors hypothesize: . . .  wild birds may spread the virus through direct contact or contamination of ..read more