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Bird flu is still spreading in dairy cattle — scientists are concerned
MAY 28, 20243:50 AM ET
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Bird flu is still spreading in dairy cattle. Scientists say the recent news of a second human case, detected in Michigan, underscores the need to stay vigilant.
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A MARTÍNEZ, BYLINE: Bird flu is still here, spreading in dairy cattle. And scientists say that recent news of a second human case underscores the need to stay vigilant. That was detected last week in Michigan. The person has since recovered. So where do things stand at this point in the outbreak? NPR’s Will Stone joins us now to bring us up to date. Will, this human case – anything new there?
WILL STONE, BYLINE: It’s a similar situation as in that first human case, which was found in early April in Texas. Like that one, the infection turned up in a dairy worker, this time in Michigan. That makes sense, because these workers do have the highest risk of exposure given their close contact with dairy cattle. The person’s only symptom was conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye. Interestingly, they had to swab the person’s eye to get a positive sample. It did not come up positive when they did their nose.
MARTÍNEZ: OK, so how concerned should we all be?
STONE: This wasn’t all that big a surprise. As scientists I’ve spoken with have said, they suspected there are other human cases flying under the radar because these tend to be mild. Still, I would say it’s a wake-up call. The outbreak in cattle has not just fizzled out yet. The CDC stressed that it found this human case because they’ve ramped up their surveillance. Dr. Diego Diel is a virologist at Cornell. He says it’s quite possible this worker got infected from being splashed or somehow exposed to infected milk. But the truth is, A, there are still many unknowns, including exactly how this is spreading between cows. The theory has been it’s mostly occurring during the milking process, and new research also shows that raw milk can infect mice in the lab. Here’s Diel on the situation.
DIEGO DIEL: I think we are in the middle of a black box, to be honest with you. I don’t think we know the real dimension of the infection, how widespread it is. I suspect that we are not testing enough to really assess what the real scenario is.
STONE: Federal agencies have poured a bunch of money into trying to get more buy-in from dairy farms, so there can be more testing and studies on the ground. So far, though, it seems like that is still pretty challenging. Not that many humans have been tested, and officials with the CDC have said they’d like to be doing more, but cooperation has been, quote, “variable.”
MARTÍNEZ: All right. So what are scientists focusing on, then?
STONE: They’re paying attention to whether any known or troubling mutations have popped up. Scientists have a sense of what some of the alarming ones would be, for example, changes that would indicate the virus is getting better at binding to receptors in our upper airways. We have not seen that yet. Troy Sutton at Penn State University is studying how bird flu is spreading among mammals. He recently published findings showing there was a low level of airborne transmission between ferrets in the lab. But this was an older form of the virus, the one that was spreading in Europe at a mink farm, and that was before the virus came to North America and underwent some changes. So while that was not the same virus, Sutton says it is still notable because they had not really seen this before with this particular version.
TROY SUTTON: These viruses seem to be getting better at infecting mammals. Does that mean they’re getting better at infecting humans? We can’t make that statement. But, you know, definitely the more a virus seems to be able to infect mammals and cross the species barrier, the more concerned we should be.
STONE: Sutton says the fact is, scientists don’t fully understand all the implications of the changes in this virus. But to be clear, the CDC says right now the risk to the general public is still low.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. Good to know. That’s NPR’s Will Stone. Will, thanks.
STONE: Thank you.
First Bird Flu Detected in Beef; Human Anti-Pandemic Vaccines in Development
May 27, 2024
USDA inspections of 96 culled dairy cows turned up one positive sample; the beef would not have been allowed into the food supply.
There were two updates on avian influenza over the long weekend. USDA detected bird flu in beef for the first time, but the meat was not allowed to enter the nation’s food supply. And media reports said U.S and European officials were stepping up development of vaccines that could prevent avian influenza from becoming a pandemic.
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which has been monitoring beef tissue from 96 culled and condemned dairy cows, said “viral particles were detected in tissue samples, including muscle, from one cow.
“Meat from condemned cows [presumably ones that show signs of any disease] is prohibited from entering the food supply … No meat from these dairy cattle entered the food supply.”
The 96 dairy cows were diverted from the supply because federal inspectors noticed signs of illness during routine inspections of carcasses at meat processing plants. Bird flu was found in only one of those cows.
The agency also has been testing ground beef for bird flu at retail stores, but it has yet to find any sign of the virus. Even if it were to get through, the Agriculture Dept. says cooking beef to an internal temperature of 165 degrees will kill it just as cooking kills E. coli and other viruses.
Back to the vaccine: Reuters reported U.S officials were “moving bulk vaccine from CSL Seqirus that closely matches the current virus into finished shots that could provide 4.8 million doses of vaccine.”
European health officials told Reuters they also were in talks to acquire CSL’s prepandemic vaccine. Canadian health officials said they have met with GSK, maker of Canada’s seasonal flu shots, to discuss acquiring and manufacturing a prepandemic bird flu vaccine once its seasonal flu production capacity is freed up. Other countries, including the UK, are discussing how to proceed on prepandemic vaccines.
Missouri wants to increase its permit prices for hunting – fishing – and trapping
Steve Scott1 day ago
The Missouri Conservation Commission has given initial approval to a proposal that would slightly boost permit prices for hunting, fishing, and trapping.
The Department of Conservation says to keep pace with continually rising costs, the agency is proposing to focus on the prices of nonresident permits.
Under the plan, permits for migratory bird hunting, trout fishing, and daily fishing would rise slightly for residents and nonresidents.
The department’s online public comment period about the price adjustments will be from July 2 to August 1.
The state Conservation Commission plans to give final consideration to the proposed price changes during its September meeting.
If approved, the changes would begin next January.
Missouri issues nearly 2.6 million hunting, fishing, and trapping permits each year.
US Has Worst Bird Flu Outbreak in Two Years at Iowa Egg Farm
Michael Hirtzer
Tue, May 28, 2024, 3:18 PM PDT1 min read
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-records-worst-bird-flu-211402973.html
(Bloomberg) — Deadly bird flu was detected in an egg-laying chicken flock in Iowa, affecting 4.2 million birds in the biggest US outbreak since 2022.
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The detection is the first since December in Iowa, which is the top US egg producer with nearly 12% of the country’s layer hens, according to US Department of Agriculture data. The findings come as the virus has been infecting dairy cows across the US.
Read More: Bird Flu More Widespread in Sewage Than Tests From Farms Show
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said the site is in Sioux County, according to a statement Tuesday.
It’s the worst outbreak since more than 5 million birds were affected at a farm in Iowa’s Osceola County in March 2022, when the virus was first spreading in the country. Prices for eggs surged to a record as tens of millions of birds were killed to slow the spread.
Alpacas test positive for H5N1 bird flu for the first time
By Brenda Goodman, CNN
1 minute read
Published 4:10 PM EDT, Tue May 28, 2024
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/28/health/alpacas-h5n1-bird-flu/index.html
Scientists have closely watched the H5N1 virus for roughly two decades. CDC/NIAIDCNN —
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, sometimes called bird flu, has been confirmed in alpacas for the first time, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories.
The animals that tested positive were on a farm in Idaho where poultry had tested positive for the virus and were culled in May. The alpacas tested positive May 16, the USDA said in a news release.
The USDA noted that the finding of other infected animals on the same farm as the infected birds wasn’t necessarily a surprise.
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The gene sequence of viruses isolated from the alpacas shows that it is closely related to the H5N1 viruses that are currently circulating in dairy cattle.
There are more than 264,000 alpacas registered in the US, according to the Alpaca Owners Association.
Scientists have closely watched the H5N1 virus for roughly two decades. For most of that time, it has primarily affected birds. In the past two years, however, the virus has been infecting a wider variety of wild and farmed mammals, raising concern that it could be moving closer to becoming a pathogen that can transmit easily between people.
Human cases have been reported sporadically around the globe over the years, including three in the US, but no person-to-person transmission has been reported in the ongoing US cattle outbreak.
China reports fatal H5N6 avian flu case
Farmers must kill 4.2 million chickens after bird flu hits Iowa egg farm
Updated 3:35 PM PDT, May 28, 2024Share https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-iowa-how-many-chickens-6a8cd70e4293d0dee4fef6d0dcfbdce7
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 4 million chickens in Iowa will have to be killed after a case of the highly pathogenic bird flu was detected at a large egg farm, the state announced Tuesday.
Crews are in the process of killing 4.2 million chickens after the disease was found at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa, making it the latest in a yearslong outbreak that now is affecting dairy cattle as well. Last week, the virus was confirmed at an egg farm west of Minneapolis, Minnesota, leading to the slaughter of nearly 1.4 million chickens.
Overall, 92.34 million birds have been killed since the outbreak began in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Although bird flu has become somewhat common among poultry, its spread to cattle has added to worries about the disease. In May, a second dairy farmworker was diagnosed with bird flu, and the virus was detected in both beef and milk. It has been confirmed on dairy cattle farms in nine states.
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Health and agriculture officials have said the risk to the public remains low. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation’s food supply and beef remains safe to eat.
Workers exposed to infected animals are at a higher risk. The only three human cases confirmed in the United States included two dairy workers and one man working to slaughter infected birds on a poultry farm.
Four poachers imprisoned, fined for hunting wild animals in Dhofar
29 MAY 2024
Muscat – Four citizens were imprisoned for one year and fined RO1,000 for hunting and killing wild animals in Dhofar governorate.
In a statement, Environment Authority (EA) said, ‘The Court of Appeal in Salalah issued a ruling convicting the defendants of the misdemeanour of hunting and killing an Arabian gazelle and Nubian ibex, and a number of wild birds in Dhofar governorate.’
The court ordered that all four defendants should face one year of imprisonment, a fine of RO1,000, and the confiscation of seized items such as weapons, binoculars, phones and vehicle.
The Environment Authority called on everyone to preserve wildlife and avoid actions that may lead to legal accountability.
Rick Steves Has Crucial Tips For Vegetarians Traveling To Europe
https://www.islands.com/1585906/rick-steves-crucial-tip-vegetarians-europe/
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Rick Steves Has Crucial Tips For Vegetarians Traveling To EuropeBy Jenna BuschMay 26, 2024 5:15 pm ESTDave Collins/Getty ImagesTraveling with food restrictions can be difficult, especially as a vegan or vegetarian. You think you’re safe with a salad, and then it arrives at your table with chicken on it. Fear not, fellow veggies, because travel pro Rick Steves has some crucial tips for visiting Europe that can help you navigate menus, find restaurants that have what you want, and ensure you keep yourself fed while on vacation. By the way, if you aren’t familiar with the terms, vegetarians don’t eat meat, poultry, or fish, and vegans eschew animal products altogether, including items like eggs, dairy, and honey.
It’s not that you won’t find vegetarians or vegans in Europe. Steves said of veganism on his website, “Veganism is roughly as common in Europe as in the US, and big European cities, especially those with thriving arts scenes (London, Berlin, Prague, Amsterdam) have at least a handful of restaurants catering to a substantial vegan population. ” However, that doesn’t mean everyone knows the exact definitions, which can get you into trouble.
Fill up on breakfast and utilize grocery stores for snacks and meals
Vesnaandjic/Getty Images
First, Rick Steves advises vegans and vegetarians to fill up on breakfast foods. While many countries serve meat in the morning, vegetarians can often find cheese and eggs. The first meal of the day also tends to have a lot of snack options, like bread, fruit, cereal, and even sometimes vegetables and beans. Oatmeal, another great option, has fiber that can keep you full through the day. If your hotel happens to have a complimentary breakfast, grab some extra snacks to carry with you. At hotels, you have a better chance of encountering someone who speaks English as well, so you can ask about ingredients if you need to.
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While there are many good reasons to always carry a Ziploc bag, vegans and vegetarians can benefit greatly from using these plastic containers to pack up breakfast food to enjoy later. You can also pick up on-the-go options at a grocery store. Steves points out that you’ll often see the symbol of a green leaf with a “v” on it or a label that says “suitable for vegetarians” or “suitable for vegans.” You should be okay with items bearing these indicators; however, due to the fact that these labels are included voluntarily, you should consider reading the guidelines (pdf) first. Steves further suggests staying at an Airbnb or other self-catering rental with a kitchen where you can make your own meals using ingredients purchased from the store.
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Eating out as a vegetarian or vegan in Europe
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Restaurants can be a bit trickier, as they may not have the same definition of vegetarian or vegan as you do. Rick Steves wrote on his website, “Very often, Europeans think ‘vegetarian” means ‘no red meat’ or ‘not much meat.’ If you are a strict vegetarian, you’ll have to make things very clear. Write the appropriate phrase, keep it handy, and show it to each waiter before ordering your meal.”
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It can also help to put your restrictions through a translator. In fact, tourists traveling abroad can use the Google Translate app to keep meals stress-free. In conversation mode, you and the server can each speak in your own language, and the app will translate it for you instantly. You can also use its camera mode to translate food labels. Steves further mentioned looking for street food, including pizza, falafel, and salads, which you can eat at a fountain or on steps (check for signs, just in case).
Doing some research before you arrive can also serve you well. If you have an idea of how some of the more popular local dishes are made, you may find some veggie options to look out for on menus. Keep in mind the pretty but costly tourist trap quality to avoid when picking a restaurant in Italy and around Europe. One incredible resource is HappyCow.net. This great site that Steves recommends (and that we at Islands have used a lot) has listings of vegetarian and vegan restaurants all over the world. For instance, if you search “Athens, Greece,” you’ll find over 200 results with information and reviews from other travelers.
Read More: https://www.islands.com/1585906/rick-steves-crucial-tip-vegetarians-europe/
