After delay, #CDC releases data signaling #BirdFlu spread undetected in #cows and #people

February 13, 20251:00 PM ET

By Will Stone

"The first study on the #H5N1 bird flu outbreak from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make it to publication under the #Trump administration came out Thursday.

"The journal released data suggesting some #spillovers from dairy cattle into humans have gone #undetected, including in states where dairy herds have not tested positive.

"This comes after a #freeze in external communications that interrupted the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, or #MMWR, a mainstay of public health communication. Publication on other topics resumed last week.

"In the new study, researchers analyzed blood samples collected from 150 veterinarians who worked with cattle around the country and found that three of them had #antibodies to the H5N1 virus, indicating recent infections. None recalled having any influenza-like symptoms or conjunctivitis. They also did not care for any cattle with known or suspected infections, although one did work with infected poultry.

"The findings underscore the difficulty of detecting and controlling human infections based on whether a person seeks out medical care, says Gregory Gray, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

"'If the circulating #H5 viruses become more transmissible between humans, we are not going to be able to control transmission as the viruses will spread rapidly and often #subclinically,' says Gray.

"Previous CDC research that surveyed dairy workers found 7% had evidence of past infections, although only half reported symptoms. Work from Gray and his colleagues in Texas also indicates some cases in the dairy industry workforce are going undetected.

"'It means our surveillance is inadequate,' says Lauren Sauer, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health. 'Any detection of #asymptomatic or mild cases in this study just tells me we're missing cases.'"

Read more:
npr.org/sections/shots-health-…
#HPAINews #Pandemic #HPAI #AvianInfluenza #USHealth #CDCCensorship #USPol #AuthoritarianRule #Censorship #USFail