H5N1 BIRD FLU H5N1 bird flu update: Stories include the risk of avian flu transmission to humans, what would be needed for wide availability of a H5N1 vaccine, the perils of bird flu virus in raw milk, and scientific concerns about a potential pandemic.

https://www.statnews.com/topic/h5n1-bird-flu/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8HZUcU6pulWDUknFobp_9hPprk6MgfV91GLsJ1xx1lyKE2qm6BVrJd5BE0OiWD2YK4n9F6B729Yy9q1gwmtNstFehxUg&_hsmi=312829735&utm_content=312829735&utm_source=hs_email Bird flu snapshot: three months later As the H5N1 outbreak in dairy herds approaches the three-month mark, America’s top animal health official is calling on farmers to step up the use of personal protective equipment, limit traffic onto their farms, and increase cleaning and disinfection practices in their barns and milking parlors. “The more we learn about H5N1, the more we understand that good biosecurity is a critically important path to containing the virus,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack wrote in an Agri-Pulse op-ed on Friday. Vilsack’s plea comes at a time when it’s becoming clear that in addition to slow-walking the testing of animals and farmworkers and resisting the use of PPE, the dairy industry is also struggling to effectively separate sick cows and limit their movement. In a recent USDA survey of affected farms, 60% of respondents acknowledged moving animals off the farm after some of their cows started showing bird flu symptoms. Bird flu snapshot: USDA secretary urges farmers to take protective measures Megan Molteni By Megan Molteni June 24, 2024 https://www.statnews.com/2024/06/24/bird-flu-snapshot-usda-secretary/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-87-txzNM6_W-kvIIo5y2AeQz0wyroVCA4QyPF2sIJGGw8824InyswmfJkTB4W_e-19ON8MtKaa7_8Bp7jwqhUjfRr0qg&_hsmi=312829735&utm_content=312829735&utm_source=hs_email In dribs and drabs, USDA reports suggest containing bird flu outbreak in dairy cows will be challenging Helen Branswell By Helen Branswell June 13, 2024 https://www.statnews.com/2024/06/13/h5n1-bird-flu-usda-reports/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-86yblfbBldeV7dpOSgBjxKhk_j3j6fGduQuaEWJ_YEljGjumm4k9vFlKm91RXN6tIQ_3tcv4S_R9cRlxoF48M5jDAwng&_hsmi=312829735&utm_content=312829735&utm_source=hs_email