CDC asks states to prepare protective equipment to fight bird flu

May 7, 2024

1 minute reading

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Monday it met with state health officials and asked them to facilitate the distribution of protective equipment to agricultural workers to prevent infection with H5N1 bird flu, Reuters reported.

The CDC said it has asked state health departments to work with their Department of Agriculture counterparts and partners in communities to prioritize the distribution of personal protective equipment from their stockpile to workers on farms where dairy herds are known to be infected with avian flu.

Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah said that while the risk to the American public remains low, states should act to protect people exposed on the job, including those working on dairy farms, poultry farms and slaughterhouses.

Last week, the CDC urged farmers, workers and first responders to wear appropriate protective equipment when in direct or close physical contact with sick birds, livestock, feces, raw milk or surfaces contaminated.

An analysis of the outbreak released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests the virus had been circulating in the nation’s dairy cows for about four months before being reported on March 25.

Preliminary tests of milk, infant formula and other dairy products suggest they are safe to consume, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.