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May 14, 2024 – So far, the unexpected jump from bird flu to livestock has not turned into a new human flu pandemic. Yes, a dairy worker suffered conjunctivitis this year after being infected, but a greater threat to us all has yet to materialize.
This does not mean that experts are not closely monitoring the situation.
“The current risks of this infection to the public are very low,” said Máximo Brito, MD, MPH, professor of medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago. “CDC is conducting surveillance for unusual flu activity in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms. So far no major problems have been detected.”
“Just don’t kiss or hug animals,” recommended Dr. Tina Tan, who agreed on the risk to the American population of bird flu remains low at this time. Tan is a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, also in Chicago. Both infectious disease experts spoke during a press conference sponsored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).
Infected cows have been reported on 36 farms in nine U.S. states. The federal government requires cows to test negative for bird flu, also known as bird flu, before crossing state lines. But the feds have no jurisdiction within the states. Instead, they are making recommendations to help state leaders, agriculture officials and others contain the outbreak, and pay affected farmers who suffered losses in recent months.
The H5N1 virus behind bird flu has been circulating in cows since December 2023. The virus jumping from wild birds to cattle was a surprise, said Brito, who is also a member of the IDSA.
How safe are milk, eggs and beef?
The FDA tested retail milk and found parts of the virus in some samples. Other tests confirmed that pasteurization, the heating procedure that most milk goes through before being sold to the public, deactivates the virus.
“Therefore, the FDA believes that the United States milk supply is currently safe,” Brito said at the May 9 briefing.
At the same time, drinking raw or unpasteurized milk poses a higher risk. “It is very important … to alert the public to refrain from drinking unpasteurized or raw milk, that is, milk directly from a cow without processing,” he said. “There are other diseases, not just the flu, that could be transmitted by drinking unpasteurized milk.”
Do not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with raw milk or with saliva, mucus or feces from potentially infected animals, officials warn.
In areas where bird flu or sick birds are present, cook poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 F. Do not eat raw eggs. Additionally, cooking meat to the proper temperature prevents the transmission of infections.
“To date the virus has not been found in beef,” Brito said.
It is good for now?
The H5N1 virus could develop the ability to transmit to humans more easily, “but for now that is all speculative,” Brito said. The virus variant circulating among livestock is not an efficient cause of disease in humans. But there may be genetic changes in these viruses, something that has happened before. There may be additional concern if H5N1 passes to pigs, he said, because their viral receptors are closer to those of humans.
If the virus passes to people, children may be at greater risk. “As you know, children are very different from adults in that they are much more likely to hug and kiss an animal,” said Tan, who is also president-elect of IDSA.
There are elementary schools that have chickens and ducks as school mascots. Some families keep chickens as pets. “Children also drink a lot of milk, including some children who drink raw, unpasteurized milk,” she said.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, where Tan works, is prepared if H5N1 starts causing major infections in children. “We are going to treat it very much like the pandemic flu. “We have protocols for pandemic influenza and for COVID, which can be adjusted towards H5N1 if it becomes a real problem.”
Brito added: “We have not implemented any specific emergency protocols, but we are always monitoring what is happening on the ground.”
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