Federal officials on Friday pledged about $200 million to curb the spread of bird flu on dairy farms. Some of that money will be donated directly to farms to help reduce the spread of the virus, cover veterinary costs, and compensate farmers who have lost milk due to sick cows.
The funding is also aimed at encouraging testing of both dairy cows and people working near them. Experts say this is an important step in understanding the true extent of avian influenza, also known as H5N1, across the United States.
“Incentives are really helpful when it comes to understanding epidemiology better,” said Caitlin Jetelina, who tracks the disease on the website Your Local Epidemiologist.
According to a recent federal order, testing of dairy cows is not currently required unless they are being moved across state lines. Otherwise, the decision is left to the farmer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the National Animal Health Laboratory Network has reported 905 avian influenza tests in cattle since the federal order went into effect at the end of April. Of these, 112 people tested positive.
(At a news conference Friday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said only about 80 cattle have been tested since the order went into effect.) A USDA spokesperson later said that 80 more cattle have been tested each day since the order went into effect. revealed that it is being implemented.)
As of Friday, 42 herds in nine states were affected by the outbreak: Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio and Texas.
“Forty-two family farms are struggling and we want to try to provide support and support,” Vilsack said.
The USDA will provide $98 million to affected farms over the next four months, which could equate to up to $28,000 per farm, Vilsack said.
Ms Jetelina said the program was a “great step” but “premature”. The outbreak among dairy cows was first announced at the end of March.
“This incentive program is a huge step forward, especially for small farms,” said Dr. Keith Paulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. But he said that’s likely not enough for large farms, where an outbreak of bird flu can cost more than $3 million.
“This isn’t going to be fixed tomorrow,” he said. But such incentives “lay the groundwork for things to get better and also set a precedent when dealing with the next major outbreak.”
The Department of Health and Human Services will spend an additional $101 million to increase surveillance of people exposed to sick animals, contact tracing, and genetic testing of the virus to monitor for mutations.
A portion of these funds will also be earmarked for wastewater virus monitoring. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to begin releasing its data as early as Monday, a CDC spokesperson told NBC News.
Another surveillance system, called WastewaterSCAN, tracks 191 facilities in 41 states and shows high levels of influenza A in the Midwest and Northeast. This is unusual for mid-May, well past the typical influenza season. Avian influenza is a type of influenza A virus.
These findings led WastewaterSCAN researchers to take a closer look at the Texas wastewater site where the bird flu outbreak is believed to have started.
Marlene Wolfe, assistant professor of environmental health at Emory University and director of the WastewaterSCAN program, said that after further testing, “what we were seeing at the Texas facility is most likely due to the H5 influenza virus.” He said that it was shown that.
The CDC says wastewater tests can detect influenza A, but cannot tell whether the virus comes from humans or animals.
This finding, along with the recent announcement that fragments of the avian influenza virus were detected in one in five pasteurized milk samples, indicates that avian influenza may be spreading undetected. I am. Further testing confirmed that this milk is safe to eat and drink, along with other pasteurized dairy products such as sour cream and cottage cheese.
During the current outbreak, only a dairy worker in Texas has tested positive for the virus. His illness was mild, with the only symptoms being bulging eyes.
But experts suggest other cases may also go undetected. Friday’s incentive announcement included paying $75 to farmworkers who agree to provide blood and nasal swab samples to the CDC.
Meanwhile, experts said the risk of avian influenza spreading to the general public remained low.
“Always be aware, but don’t let it be just a small part of your brain,” says Jetelina. “There’s a good chance this situation will go away.”
