3 Confirmed H5N1 Human Cases now at 2nd CO Poultry Farm
Thanks to Michael Coston blogging on Avian Flu Diary, who is as usual right on top of new developments regarding 2 new human infections (3 total) at the 2nd Colorado poultry farm now under depopulation. I’ve reproduced Michael’s blog below, which consists mainly of links to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment postings and earlier Avian Flu Diary blogs regarding the human cases at both infected poultry sites:
Today Colorado's Health Department announced 3 confirmed cases of HPAI H5 among poultry workers on the 2nd farm (one case was reported as presumed positive on Monday), bringing to 10 the number of cases (1 cattle linked, 9 poultry linked) reported by that state over the past few months.
No details are provided on these 2 new cases, with the thrust of the announcement focused more on the unveiling - later today - of a new data table for tracking cases. We should get more details tomorrow, however, from the CDC weekly roundup.
The brief statement follows:
State health officials to publish data table for human cases of avian flu in Colorado
Denver (July 25, 2024) — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment — in coordination with the Colorado Department of Agriculture and State Emergency Operations Center — is reporting three confirmed cases of avian flu in humans at a second farm in Weld County, bringing the total number of cases to three at that particular farm. Public health officials first reported news of the virus at a second farm last Saturday. This update brings Colorado's total number of confirmed avian flu cases in humans to 10 — nine cases at two poultry farms and one case from a dairy farm.
Later today, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will launch a data table to track cases of avian flu in humans. The table will be updated on the CDPHE website by 4 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday.
The biweekly update will include the number of presumptive positive human cases, number of confirmed human cases, approximate number of people tested, and a link to the Colorado Department of Agriculture for the number of impacted dairy and poultry farms.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture provides data on avian flu in poultry and dairy cattle, which is updated weekly or as data is confirmed.
The CDC continues to state that the risk of avian flu to the general public is low. So far, we have not seen evidence of person-to-person transmission. Epidemiologists both here in Colorado and at CDC are monitoring for genetic variations in the virus and changes in transmission patterns.
It seems likely that more cases will turn up in the days and weeks ahead.
Stay tuned.
I agree more cases may show up, since this is a multi-week depopulation event, and workers are being continuously monitored. It’s discouraging to see infection breaking through PPE barriers in the face of known previous breakdowns at the sites. This will be a fertile area of review and study for specialists in improving worker protection against biological pathogens, especially in adverse climatic conditions with extremely high viral loads. HPAI and chickens will not be the last time our nation collectively has to protect workers from highly contagious pathogens in extremely adverse conditions.
I also think depopulation specialists and bioethicists may need to include human health and zoonotic risk in recalibrating humane standards for depopulating large layer facilities. While we are using an allegedly more humane method of euthanasia (CO2 in carts on relatively small numbers of birds), we are also creating much more human exposure to live virus produced by dying birds as the infection continues unchecked through the surviving population.
Can we objectively measure our success in protecting both human health and minimizing animal suffering? The calculations should include some measure of very inhumane deaths by avian influenza for the surviving birds that can’t be reached prior to death by AI because of lack of timeliness of currently conceived humane depopulation methods.
There is not a single non-controversial easy answer; however, the current situation is not sustainable economically, ethically, or for public or animal health. We will do better, because we must, and we can!
John