The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Monday it met with state health officials and asked them to facilitate the distribution of protective equipment for agricultural workers to prevent infection by the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
CDC has asked state health departments to work with their Department of Agriculture counterparts and community partners to prioritize the distribution of personal protective equipment from their stockpiles to farm workers farms where dairy herds have been infected with the avian flu virus.
Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah said the risk to the U.S. population remained low, but states needed to take steps to protect people exposed at work, including on dairy farms, poultry farms and slaughterhouses.
Last week, the CDC urged farmers, workers and emergency responders to wear appropriate protective equipment when in direct or close physical contact with sick birds, livestock, feces, raw milk or contaminated surfaces.
An analysis of the outbreak released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests the virus circulated in the country’s dairy cows for about four months before being reported on March 25.
Preliminary testing of milk, formula and other dairy products indicates they are safe to consume, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Reporting by Pratik Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Caroline Humer and Krishna Chandra Eluri)
