A new study recently showed that some dairy workers had signs of H5N1 infection even when they didn’t report feeling sick. As a result, federal health officials called for more testing of employees on farms affected by bird flu. The University of Texas Medical Branch says farmworkers in close contact with infected animals should be tested and offered treatment, even if they show no H5N1 symptoms. The new guidance comes after blood tests for 115 farmworkers in Michigan and Colorado showed that eight workers – seven percent – had antibodies that indicated a previous infection with H5N1 influenza. The purpose of the actions is to keep workers safe, to limit the transmission to humans, and to reduce the possibility of the virus changing. The CDC study provides the largest window to date into how the bird virus first detected in March in dairy cows may be spreading to people.
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