CDC examination finds infections of peaceful bird influenza in milk vet

According to three dairy vets, including one, which only worked in the United States without known influenza feathers in cows, had recently, undetected bird infections, according to new study from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The results are based on testing antibodies of 150 veterinarians working in 46 US states.

The discoveries were not completely surprising, experts said, but they suggested that the virus, known as H5N1, could infect cows and people in more states than officially reported.

“We do not know the scope of this explosion in the USA,” said Seem Lakdawala, a virologist at Emory University. “They are clearly assumed, which we lack.”

Because the explosion of influenza birds in dairy cows was first reported in March last year, the virus was confirmed in Over 950 herds in 16 states. It was also detected in 68 people, 41 of which He had contact with ailing cows. Most people had delicate symptoms.

The up-to-date study, which was published in the flagship report on the incidence and mortality of CDC, was initially planned for a publication a few weeks ago, but was delayed by delaying the Trump administration on public transport on the part of the Health and Science Agency.

“In the event of readiness for public health, we have this data,” said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, director of the Boston University Center for emerging infectious diseases.

The study was conducted at a veterinary conference in September last year; The participating veterinarians practiced in 46 different states, as well as in Canada. Of the 150 veterinarians entered for the study, 25 of them reported that they cooperated with cows, which are known to have or suspected bird flu.

Three veterinarians tested positive virus antibodies. None of these three veterinarians reported work from cows that thought he had bird flu. (One worked with infected poultry.) None of them reminded any fluke symptoms.

One of the veterinarians worked with cows only in Georgia and South Carolina, states that he did not report any affected herds.

“I think we all suspected that there are many other states, potentially in which the virus is not detected,” said Dr. Bhadelia.

Dr. Lakdawala said that she was surprised, that none of the 25 veterinary medicine who knew that they worked with infected cows, did not test positive antibodies. But it is possible that those who knew that they were working with infected animals, “took more precautions,” she said.

None of the three vets who tested the antibodies positively reported to wearing masks or goggles. The study notes that such precautions are not recommended when working with fit animals in unchanged regions.

Carefully infected veterinarians remain unclear, and vets may have less contact with milk full of viruses than agricultural employees who spend days in milking, said Dr. Lakdawala.

“Vets with whom we talked about these farms are involved in all aspects of caring for these animals,” she said. “They are on these cows, looking at everything.”

The findings emphasized the need for much more tests, experts said, including tests of asymptomatic dairy and bovine vets, as well as extended tests of national milk supply.

The US Department of Agriculture announced the National Test Program for Mass Milk Samples in December. From February 7, 40 states They were saved and actively carried out testing. In Nevada, milk testing recently revealed that the milk herds have been infected with a up-to-date version of the virus, different from the one that has spread to dairy cows over the past year.

“The states that did not carry out mass tests should do so, they simply do not assume that because they did not have infected herds, they reported that they have some freedom,” said Dr. Bhadelia.

When the study was carried out last autumn, the virus was detected in milk herds in 14 states, as well as in 14 people, four of whom had contact with dairy cows.

Apoorva Mandavilli reporting brought.