The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced plans on Tuesday to invest $10 million in efforts to prevent bird flu infections among farm workers, including a significant focus on providing seasonal flu vaccines. This initiative aims to prevent further spread and potential mutation of the virus.
Since 2022, an ongoing outbreak of bird flu has impacted poultry across nearly every state in the U.S. and affected over 170 dairy herds in 13 states since March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The CDC reported that 13 workers from poultry and dairy farms in Colorado, Michigan, and Texas have contracted the virus. Notably, nine cases were detected in July among workers involved in culling infected chickens at two poultry farms in Colorado.
Despite these cases, CDC’s Principal Director, Nirav Shah, reassured that the risk to the general public remains low. While no additional human cases are currently pending confirmation, Shah noted that future cases in Colorado or other locations are possible.
The CDC has designated $5 million to partner with organizations such as the National Center for Farmworker Health to educate and train workers on protective measures against bird flu. An additional $5 million will fund the provision of seasonal flu vaccinations for farm workers.
Although the seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against bird flu, this vaccination effort aims to prevent the simultaneous infection of workers with both seasonal flu and bird flu, which could potentially lead to the emergence of new flu virus strains.
“By preventing seasonal influenza among these workers, who are also at risk of exposure to bird flu, we may reduce the chances of new influenza strains developing,” Shah explained.
The CDC plans to vaccinate approximately 200,000 livestock workers during the upcoming flu shot season, working with state agencies to ensure broad reach.
Meanwhile, Eric Deeble, an undersecretary at the USDA, expressed optimism that the spread of bird flu among dairy cows can be contained and the disease ultimately eradicated.
