CDC asks states to provide workers with bird flu protection

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday it had met with state health officials and asked them to promote the distribution of protective equipment for farm workers to prevent infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

The CDC has asked state health departments to work with their Department of Agriculture counterparts and community partners to prioritize the distribution of personal protective equipment from their stockpiles to farmworkers on farms where dairy herds have been infected with the avian influenza virus.

Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah said the risk to the U.S. public remains low, but states need to take steps to protect people exposed at work, including on dairy farms, poultry plants and slaughterhouses.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged farmers, workers and emergency responders to wear appropriate protective equipment when in direct or close physical contact with sick birds, livestock, feces, raw milk or contaminated surfaces.

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

Preliminary testing of milk, formula and other dairy products shows they are safe to eat, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Reporting by Pratik Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Caroline Huemer and Krishna Chandra Eluri)