Twenty-four companies are working to develop an avian flu vaccine for cattle, as the virus spreads among U.S. dairy herds, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters on Wednesday.Bird flu has infected 90 dairy herds across 12 states since late March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Three dairy farm workers also have been … Read more
The United States and Europe are taking steps to acquire or manufacture H5N1 bird flu vaccines to protect at-risk poultry and dairy workers, veterinarians, and lab technicians.
Bird flu virus particles were found in tissue samples taken from one dairy cow sent to slaughter at a U.S. meat processing plant, but none were detected in samples from 95 other cattle. Meat from the animals was prevented from entering the nation’s food supply.
Researchers are investigating if bird flu has caused the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of penguins in Antarctica. The H5N1 virus is suspected to be the cause, but field tests were inconclusive. Samples are being sent to labs for further analysis. The disease has spread rapidly in wildlife since arriving in South America in 2022 and has now reached Antarctica. Penguins, including threatened species like Adelie and emperor penguins, are at risk of being impacted by the virus.
The spread of bird flu to a growing number of species and regions has increased the risk of humans being infected by the virus, according to the head of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The U.S. reported cases in dairy cows and a person in Texas, with concerns about potential transmission between cows. The virus has led to culling of millions of poultry globally, mainly carried by migrating wild birds. The virus has spread to new regions, affecting a variety of animals, including foxes, cats, tigers, seals, dolphins, and bears. The concern is the higher viral load and potential contamination of humans. There have been outbreaks of bird flu causing serious infections in people with close contact with infected animals, but no sustained human-to-human transmission observed. Scientists warn of the risk of the virus mutating to be transmissible between mammals, including humans, potentially leading to a large-scale pandemic.