Español | Other Languages

 Print https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/spotlights/2023-2024/avian-situation-update.htm

April 26, 2024 – CDC continues to respond to the public health challenge posed by a multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, or “A(H5N1) virus” in dairy cows and other animals in the U.S. CDC is working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state public health and animal health officials, and other partners using a One Health approach. USDA is now reporting that 34 dairy cattle herds in nine U.S. states, including most recently Colorado, have confirmed cases of A(H5N1) virus infections in cattle. The agency has issued a “Federal Order requiring Testing for and Reporting of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Livestock [118 KB, 2 pages].” Currently, one human case has been confirmed in a person with exposure to presumably infected dairy cows reported by Texas on April 1, 2024^[1][2]. Monitoring people with exposure to animals infected or potentially infected with A(H5N1) viruses is important to help us better understand the risk to human health and potential for spread between animals and people.

CDC’s response to this outbreak of influenza A(H5N1) virus in dairy cattle and other animals most recently includes:

• An updated H5N1 Technical Report posted on April 26. This report updates a December 29, 2023, report to include seven new human cases of H5N1 reported globally since that time (five in Cambodia, one in the United States (Texas), and one in Vietnam) and recent activity in wild birds, poultry and other animals, including the multistate outbreak in U.S. dairy cattle and other animals, and updated information on monitoring for A(H5N1) virus infections in people in the United States. The report concludes that the current risk to the general public remains low at this time.
• Updated interim recommendations for worker protection expanded to include people who work in slaughterhouses posted on April 26.
• Continuing work to better characterize the virus from the human case in Texas.

• Testing for susceptibility to the commercially available and recommended flu antiviral medications was completed this week. Testing confirmed that the A(H5N1) virus from the human case in Texas^[2] is susceptible to baloxavir marboxil, in addition to the neuraminidase inhibitors, which was announced last week. With these findings, the virus from the human case in Texas is confirmed to be susceptible to commercially available FDA-approved and recommended flu neuraminidase and polymerase acidic protein (PA) endonuclease inhibitor antiviral medications. Currently the neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir is recommended for antiviral treatment of people with confirmed or suspected A(H5N1) virus infection, and for post-exposure prophylaxis.
• Looking at antiviral resistance properties of more than 200 H5N1 publicly posted virus sequences from cattle. CDC found one virus from a cow with a marker known to be associated with reduced susceptibility to the neuraminidase inhibitors (a change at NA-T438I). This change has been seen rarely in the past in H5N1 viruses isolated from wild birds and poultry. The detection of this marker in one of more than 200 specimens is not surprising or concerning at this time in terms of the clinical usefulness of these drugs, but it does underscore why this kind of constant monitoring is important.
• Growing H5N1 virus stock from the one human case in Texas to use for additional laboratory experiments to:
• • Learn how the virus reproduces in both human and cow respiratory tract epithelial cells and cow mammary epithelial cells.
  • Assess the severity of illness and transmissibility of the virus under different scenarios by infecting ferrets and assessing the outcome. Ferrets are used as a model for people because they get sick and spread influenza viruses in a manner similar to humans.

• Testing human sera (blood) from people previously vaccinated with pre-pandemic A(H5) vaccines to see how it reacts to the virus from the human case in Texas. Data to date – including genetic analysis and testing of ferret antisera from multiple clade 2.3.4.4b candidate vaccine viruses – suggest vaccination will offer good cross-protection against cattle outbreak viruses. (The human case in Texas was a 2.3.4.4b virus.)

• Continuing to support states that are monitoring people with exposure to cows, birds, or other domestic or wild animals infected or potentially infected with influenza A(H5N1) viruses. Testing of symptomatic people who have exposures is being done by state or local officials, and CDC is conducting confirmatory testing when needed.
• Maintaining multilingual and multidisciplinary epidemiological field teams ready to deploy for on-site studies to better understand the current outbreak, particularly the public health and One Health implications of the emergence of this virus in cattle.
• Engaging One Health partner organizations from public health, agriculture, wildlife, milk regulatory officials, and others to share information and ensure preparedness to prevent and respond to this emerging infectious disease threat and for any potential human infections. On April 25, CDC participated in an ASTHO-hosted discussion between public health leaders and scientists leading the U.S. Government’s response to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
• Continuing to monitor flu surveillance data, especially in areas where A(H5N1) viruses have been detected in dairy cattle or other animals, for any unusual trends in flu-like illness, flu, or conjunctivitis. CDC this week posted a webpage on How CDC is monitoring influenza data in people to better understand the current avian influenza A (H5N1) situation | Avian Influenza (Flu). CDC flu surveillance systems show no indicators of unusual flu activity in people, including avian influenza A(H5N1) for the most recent week.

New Measures to Contain Spread in Cows

The multistate outbreak of HPAI A(H5N1) bird flu in dairy cows was first reported by USDA on March 25, 2024. This is the first time that A(H5N1) viruses have been found in cattle. USDA also has reported that the virus has spread through cattle movement between herds and also from dairy cattle premises into nearby poultry premises and has infected a number of barn cats. Additionally, USDA has reported that APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories found virus in a lung tissue sample from a dairy cow without symptoms that came from an affected herd (but that cow did not enter the food supply). This week, USDA issued a “Federal Order Requiring Testing for and Reporting of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Livestock [118 KB, 2 pages]” to protect livestock health. Prior to interstate movement, dairy cattle are now required to receive a negative test for influenza A virus at an approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network laboratory. For more information regarding this Federal Order visit HPAI Detections in Livestock. Containing spread of this virus in animals will help reduce the number of potential human exposures and thus help contain the public health risk.

Ongoing Surveillance Needed

Because of the potential for influenza viruses to constantly change, continual surveillance and preparedness efforts are critical, and CDC is taking measures to be ready in case the current risk assessment for the general public changes. The immediate goal is to prevent further spread of this virus between animals and people. CDC will continue to monitor these viruses and update and adjust guidance as needed. As a reminder, while CDC believes the current risk of A(H5N1) infection to the general public remains low, people with close, prolonged, or unprotected exposures to infected birds, cattle, or other animals, to unpasteurized (“raw”) milk, or to environments contaminated by infected birds, cattle, or other animals or by raw milk, are at a greater risk of infection.

CDC has interim recommendations for prevention, monitoring, and public health investigations of A(H5N1) virus infections in people. CDC also has updated recommendations for worker protection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce their risk of exposure. Following these recommendations is central to reducing a person’s risk and containing the overall public health risk.

This is a rapidly changing situation, and CDC is committed to providing frequent and timely updates.

^[1] The first human case of A(H5N1) bird flu in the United States was reported in 2022 in a person in Colorado who had direct exposure to poultry and was involved in the depopulating of poultry with presumptive A(H5N1) bird flu. The 2022 human case was not related to dairy cattle. The person recovered. Learn more at U.S. Case of Human Avian Influenza A(H5) Virus Reported.

^[2] The second human case of A(H5N1) bird flu in the United States was reported in 2024 and linked with dairy cattle and reported eye redness as their only symptom, consistent with conjunctivitis, and has recovered. Learn more at Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Infection Reported in a Person in the U.S.

5 MINUTE READ

https://time.com/6971773/kristi-noem-memoir-dog-kill-children-net-worth

BY MALLORY MOENCH

APRIL 27, 2024 11:03 AM EDT

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican and reported contender for Donald Trump’s Vice President pick in the 2024 election, has received pushback after admitting to killing her dog in her new memoir.

After obtaining a copy of No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward ahead of its publication next month, the Guardian reported that Noem wrote she shot dead Cricket, a 14-month-old dog she had intended to train for hunting pheasant, after the canine ruined a hunt, killed another family’s chickens, and moved to bite her.

Watch more from TIME

Click to Learn More

https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.637.1_en.html#goog_695755808

about:blank

about:blank

AD

pause

volume_off

fullscreen

Content will resume after this advertisement.

Noem said Cricket had an “aggressive personality” and was “untrainable,” per the Guardian’s report. Noem took Cricket on a pheasant hunt with older dogs to try to teach the canine, but Cricket went “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.” 

She said she called Cricket, then used an electronic collar to try to control the dog. On the way home, Cricket escaped Noem’s truck and killed the chickens of a local family, who Noem compensated. The dog then “whipped around to bite me,” the politician wrote. 

After that, Noem said, “I realized I had to put her down.” She led Cricket to a gravel pit and shot and killed the dog. 

Noem also killed a male goat that she said was “nasty and mean,” smelled “disgusting, musky, rancid,” and “loved to chase” her children, knocking them down and ruining their clothes. She also killed the goat in the gravel pit, although it reportedly took two shots.

Noem said she told the story about Cricket to show that in politics and life, she was willing to do what was “difficult, messy, and ugly” if it was necessary.

The backlash from Democrats and conservatives alike has been swift. Rick Wilson, who co-founded the anti-Trump PAC The Lincoln Project, criticized on X, formerly Twitter, that Noem “killed a puppy because she was lazy at training bird dogs, not because it was a bad dog.” The Lincoln Project released an ad that said when tough moments come with pets, “shooting your dog in the face is not an option.”

https://1852f199fcf2f3d2e120fdc6d8070bbb.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Noem responded to the backlash on Friday in a post on X: “We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years.”

“If you want more real, honest, and politically INcorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping, preorder No Going Back,” she concluded, with a link to her book. 

With interest in Noem at an all-time high, here’s what you need to know about the U.S. politician. 

Who is Kristi Noem? 

Noem is the 33rd—and first female—governor of South Dakota, whose motto is “Under God, the People Rule.”

The 52-year-old was born in Watertown, S.D. She’s spoken about how she took on more responsibilities on her family’s farm after her father died in a farming accident. She attended Mount Marty College and Northern State University. She later graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from South Dakota State University in 2011, according to VoteSmart.

Noem is a rancher, farmer, small business owner, and published author, according to her official biography. She joined the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2007, where she served as assistant majority leader, and then the U.S. House of Representatives in 2011. She was elected as governor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

Kristi Noem’s husband, children, and grandchildren  

Noem is married to Bryon. His First Gentleman biography says he grew up on a farm near Bryant, S.D., graduated from Northern State University with a degree in business and finance, has operated an insurance agency, and coached basketball. The couple went to high school together and have jointly run a farm and ranch, opened an ice cream shop, and helped manage a family restaurant, according to their biographies.

They have three children—Kassidy, Kennedy, and Booker. Kassidy Peters is married and has two children, according to her X profile. Peters was a real estate appraiser, but turned in her license and dissolved her business in 2021, according to a letter she wrote. A report approved by South Dakota lawmakers in 2022 found that Peters got preferential treatment in her application to get the license, the Associated Press reported.

Her husband, Kyle Peters, is in local politics and was elected to the City Council of Watertown, S.D. last year. He previously worked for his mother-in-law in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development from 2019 to 2021, according to his LinkedIn and news reports.

Kennedy Frick is also married and works as an account executive for an oil and gas consulting firm, according to her LinkedIn. Frick worked for her mother in the Governor’s office from Jan. 2019 to Aug. 2020, when she left to get her masters in business administration, according to her LinkedIn and news reports.

Booker is currently listed on the website of Collision Ministries, a Christian student organization, as the Watertown Area Director. His biography says he previously attended a Christian training school in Hawaii and worked in a ministry in San Francisco.

What is Kristi Noem’s net worth? 

Noem’s precise net worth is unknown. OpenSecrets estimated her net worth at $2.3 million in 2017. ExactNetWorth.com pegged it at around $4.5 million in 2021.