A fourth US dairy farm worker infected with the bird flu virus
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A fourth US dairy farm worker has been infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus, raising the total number of confirmed spillover cases from cows to workers to four. The most recent case occurred in Colorado, and the worker's only symptom was inflammation of the eyes. Health officials have not provided the exact date of diagnosis or information on genetic testing of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed the fourth case and warned of the possibility of an expansion of the H5N1 outbreak in humans. The US government is securing future stocks of bird flu vaccines, including from CureVac, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is accelerating the development of a bird flu vaccine using mRNA technology. The European Union has signed a deal for pre-pandemic vaccine doses, and Finland has purchased vaccines for workers at risk of avian influenza. Concerns have been raised about the lack of testing and surveillance of infected individuals and farm workers. The economic impact of bird flu on dairy farms is significant, with estimated losses of $100,000 to $200,000 for a 1,000-cow dairy. Immigrant labor, many of whom are undocumented, plays a crucial role in the dairy industry, and their working conditions and fear of retaliation are not adequately addressed. The US dairy farm sector is in crisis, with declining wages, revenues, and the number of employees and businesses. The well-being of workers is connected to the public health threat posed by the bird flu virus, but agricultural business interests often take precedence over worker and public health concerns.

#BirdFlu #H5n1 #DairyFarm #Infection #Vaccine #Cdc #Barda #ImmigrantLabor

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/07/08/frrz-j08.html