United States: Public health officials are working to better understand bird flu’s spread in cows, which could also affect humans working on dairy farms.
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Reports indicate that many farmers avoid testing their cattle, fearing economic losses if infections are found. Health experts worry that the virus could mutate, posing a greater risk to humans.
As per the former White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha, “We have to find ways of getting more data in a way that protects farmers and, of course, farm workers,” as Axios reported.
Need for proper farm testing
Jha and other public health officials suggest that universities with agricultural ties should offer testing facilities.
The test results from individual farms would be anonymized and sent to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to map the disease spread and potential mutations.
Experts emphasize vigilance in tracking and addressing the infection at its source.
Megan Ranney, the dean of the Yale School of Public Health, said while mentioning it would be on a par with improved wastewater surveillance, “That’s a very rough surveillance tool. Better than what we have right now, but not sufficient,” as Axios reported.
Infection extent among cattle
USDA data shows 140 heads infected across twelve states since March. Experts believe the actual spread is larger, as many farmers refuse to test their cattle.
Jha, who is the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, also mentioned that tests coming out positive would be “financially ruinous” for farms and individual workers, and “It’s not really clear for them what’s why they should engage in this. And I’m very sympathetic to that.”
Efforts by health officials to prevent the spread
The USDA is partnering with states to offer voluntary farm testing, and a federal order mandates the testing of dairy cows before interstate travel. Federal programs also compensate farmers for losses related to bird flu surveillance.