Avian flu is spreading largely undetected among dairy and poultry workers. A new study found that some farmworkers who are infected with the virus don’t show symptoms. In light of these new findings, the CDC recommends that anyone exposed to infected animals be tested and offered treatment whether or not they have symptoms. Earlier guidelines recommended that farmworkers be tested and offered treatment only if they showed symptoms.
We know that the more Avian flu is allowed to spread among animals and people, the greater the chances it will mutate to become more dangerous to humans. Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virus expert at the University of Saskatchewan, says the study “shows yet again that we are not responding effectively to the H5N1 cattle outbreak in humans or animals and if we continue to let this virus spread and jump from species to species, our luck will eventually run out”.
Several challenges have impeded efforts to control the spread of Avian flu, including resistance of farm owners and workers to testing. Rasmussen and other experts have also been critical of the federal government’s “lackluster” response to ongoing outbreaks, which have infected at least 446 cow herds across 15 states. Because testing has been so limited, experts warn, the actual number of infected humans in the US could be much greater than the 46 confirmed cases to date.
Full Story: Associated Press
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