Sudhir Bhatia’s Post

The CDC is actively responding to a multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus affecting dairy cows and other animals in the United States. They are using a One Health approach collaborating with the USDA, FDA, state health officials, and local partners. As of May 30, 2024, Michigan reported a third human case of A(H5) virus infection linked to the ongoing outbreak in U.S. dairy cows. Like the previous cases, this individual is a dairy farm worker with direct exposure to sick cows, suggesting cow-to-person transmission. Despite this recent case, the CDC’s risk assessment for A(H5N1) bird flu in the general public remains unchanged. All three sporadic cases had contact with infected cows. USDA confirms 68 dairy cow herds in nine states with A(H5N1) infections. Continued flu surveillance, limiting animal-human interactions, and urgent efforts by USDA and partners are essential to prevent further spread. 🦠🐄👨 For more detailed information, you can refer to the attached CDC’s official report. Your dedication to public health is commendable! 🙌 #OneHealth #GlobalHealthSecurity #FHI360GSH

At least 11 herds of cattle in the US have been confirmed to be infected with H5N1, leading to 1 person in Texas diagnosed with bird flu (the 2nd human case in the US since 2022). Although it is not yet believed that avian flu has evolved in ways that would allow spread from person to person, any instance of human infection raises concern. https://lnkd.in/d2vZM-Gm At Leyden Labs we’re focused on making products that provide broad protection against existing and emerging respiratory viruses, including avian flu. Read our latest publication in Scientific Reports (link in comments) to see what we have learned about the promising potential of our influenza antibody, CR9114 to protect against avian flu.   #influenza #flu #avianflu #H5N1

I remain highly concerned about the US H5N1 avial influenza outbreak and not enough being done to investigate and control it. CDC have now confirmed H5N1 in some foxes and possums in the infected regions. This plus the deaths of infected cats and Texas waste water studies suggests that H5N1 might be spreading in wild or domestic animals entering residential areas? We know cats are highly susceptible so imagine what happens if this starts spreading in the US cat population. At least there should be a strong signal of this happening if cats start dying everywhere from respiratory symptoms - I wouldn't want to be a vet having to look after such animals right now in absence of a vaccine.   So the focus may be incorrectly too much on the infected dairy cattle, at a time when H5N1 might already be in another intermediate species from which it could much more easily cross to humans, for example most people are in much closer contact to cats than they are to cattle!   We just need to remember what happened in the ferret farms with COVID where it freely transmitted from the humans to ferrets and back to humans acquiring mutations along the way.   US authorities seem to be doing too little to investigate and rapidly control this outbreak – actions in the first few weeks of an outbreak are by far and away the most crucial as we saw with the failure to react to and control SARS-CoV-2 early enough.

The potential #OneHealth and #FoodSecurity impact of the intrepid #H5N1 virus bears close watching by authorities and industry. There are potential implications for wild, farmed, and companion animal health, the risk of animal-human and human-human transmission, and implications for animal product #foodsafety and #foodsecurity. So it is apt that the FAO, World Organisation for Animal Health, and World Health Organization triad are monitoring the situation closely. In the U.S., where infections had been noted in cows, the FDA updated on 25 Apr that 1 in 5 PCR-tested retail milk samples showed viral fragments, but added on 26 Apr that "preliminary results of egg inoculation tests on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-positive retail milk samples show that #pasteurization is effective in inactivating HPAI. This additional testing did not detect any live, infectious virus. These results reaffirm our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe." [Reference: https://lnkd.in/gH7X4Ni7 ] The FDA has advised "Precautions for Raw Milk" as follows: "The FDA has a long-standing recommendation to consumers not to consume raw milk (milk that has not been pasteurized). Because of the limited information available about the possible transmission of H5N1 virus via raw milk, the FDA continues to recommend that industry does not manufacture or sell raw milk or raw milk products, including raw milk cheese, made with milk from cows showing symptoms of illness, including those infected with avian influenza viruses or exposed to those infected with avian influenza viruses. Importantly, the FDA has also recommended producers take precautions when discarding milk from affected cows so that the discarded milk does not become a source of further spread. Producers should consult with their state regulatory authorities for specific recommendations or requirements; however, such precautions should include heat treatment, pasteurization or its equivalent, of discarded milk prior to dumping in lagoons or application of waste solids and ensuring biosecurity around lagoons (e.g., ensuring that animals and birds do not have access to lagoons). Any raw milk or raw milk products from exposed cattle that are fed to calves (or to other animals, such as farm cats) should be heat treated or pasteurized." #zoonosis #publichealth

#H5N1 #dairycattle #cows #animal #human #onehealth #USA Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Clade 2.3.4.4b Virus Infection in Domestic Dairy Cattle and Cats, United States, 2024 Infected cattle experienced nonspecific illness, reduced feed intake and rumination, and an abrupt drop in milk production, but fatal systemic influenza infection developed in domestic cats fed raw (unpasteurized) colostrum and milk from affected cows. Cow-to-cow transmission appears to have occurred because infections were observed in cattle on Michigan, Idaho, and Ohio farms where avian influenza virus–infected cows were transported. Although the US Food and Drug Administration has indicated the commercial milk supply remains safe, the detection of influenza virus in unpasteurized bovine milk is a concern because of potential cross-species transmission. Continued surveillance of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in domestic production animals is needed to prevent cross-species and mammal-to-mammal transmission. https://lnkd.in/epkv6nEn

A case of bird flu in Missouri has researchers on edge as the infected individual had no known contact with potential animal carriers of the disease. The ongoing outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in dairy cattle in the United States is a cause for concern. The data from this recent case could shed light on a critical question: has the virus reached a tipping point where it can spread from human to human? However, the lack of comprehensive data is proving to be a major challenge. Missouri does not mandate farmers to test cows for H5N1, and the country is struggling to understand the precise mechanisms of the virus's transmission. To learn more about this worrisome development, check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d6D-2Q6M

Check out these 5 tips to protect your dairy from disease threats, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza. https://lnkd.in/gvwpfMkB

Check out these 5 tips to protect your dairy from disease threats, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza. https://lnkd.in/gvwpfMkB

It's just a matter of time, so let's think ahead. What are you doing to make to your air safe? H5N1 is highly pathogenic influenza and it's spreading in birds and other animals everywhere, therefore it's in the air everywhere. Maybe the biggest concern is that previous H5N1 had extremely high mortality in people (50%-60%), and that was mostly young people. At this moment, there is spillover from Wild Birds attributed with mammal infection, large die-offs of poultry in farms, mammal to mammal transmission happening in multiple species (sea mammals, fur farms, cattle). H5N1 Influenza is all around us. Thankfully we have solutions to prevent airborne infections. Visium by Lit Thinking disinfects air and surfaces continuously and autonomously using UL certified human-safe Far-UVC. Far-UVC is effective against respiratory pathogens like Influenza, SARS CoV2, RSV... So let's partner together and ensure safe air is everywhere we can get it. #FarUVC #Visium #LitThinking #Influenza #H5N1 https://lnkd.in/gMe4RgFA

HPAI infection in ruminants is highly concerning, not only for lowering meat and milk production, but also for the impact of its transmission via milk and the consequences for public health threats. Milk pasteurization might not be enough, like the problem of FMDV transmission between cow husbandry despite milk pasteurization. HPAI is a highly contagiouse virus. It seems that more surveillance and control measures are needed, including quarantine and vaccination of affected flocks with very safe and inactivated vaccines, and this issue should be taken more seriously by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USDA, FDA, AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), and World Health Organization. Also, the The National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation (NSF) should allocate enough financial support to investigate how HPAI could affect ruminants and conduct more research on possible point mutations or adaptation of the virus with ruminant cells or involving new risk factors or new receptors in ruminant cells which increasing HPAI infection rate in ruminants, which we haven't heard about so far.