State officials fear that attempts to monitor the virus and safeguard Americans may be hampered by the Trump administration’s dismissals of federal scientists and other measures as the number of bird flu cases floods additional poultry and dairy farms.
Amid government labor cuts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture hurried last week to rehire employees who were involved in responding to the epidemic and were let off. These workers belonged to a federal network that manages labs that gather samples and validate H5N1 tests.
State authorities believe that by removing some public health data from government websites, the administration may make it more difficult to monitor the outbreak. They also worry that funding cuts could hurt those federal labs.
Dr. Amber Itle, Washington state’s state veterinarian, stated that federal labs are essential to our ability to carry out our work and that we must ensure they continue to receive funding in order to do so. Itle stated that the majority of her office’s bird flu initiatives are funded by government funds and that the country’s bird flu surveillance system, which is among the most reliable in the world, must continue to exist.
A pitiful number of workers are tested as avian flu spreads on dairy farms.
Thousands of people have been let go from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a result of President Donald Trump’s budget cuts and firings. Public health experts said government agencies frequently collaborate to respond to health catastrophes, despite USDA’s hasty efforts to rehire its employees.
A USDA representative told Stateline that the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, also laid off a dozen probationary staff members this month. Protecting agricultural systems from animal diseases is the goal of the government facility, which collaborates closely with USDA. According to the spokesman, these jobs were administrative in nature and weren’t thought to be necessary for the lab’s operations.
Itle stated that if we begin to remove resources that are necessary to assist animal health response, we may endanger public health since we may be unknowingly exposing people if we are unable to detect it in animals.
Public health information about poverty, pollution, HIV and other STDs, adolescent health, racial disparities, sex, gender, and LGBTQ+ individuals is being removed from federal agency websites by the Trump administration.A portion of the data was promptly recovered. However, state health officials in Washington stated that they are downloading information about avian flu in case it vanishes.
Minnesota Board of Animal Health spokesperson Michael Crusan likened state-federal collaboration on avian flu to a dance.
According to Crusan, swing dancing requires a partner. So how can we maintain the smooth operation of this process?
H5N1, a highly virulent avian influenza virus, has caused the emergency culling of commercial flocks and killed millions of wild birds.
The CDC reports that since 2024, there have been 70 verified human cases nationwide. Due to their everyday close contact with cattle and poultry, farmworkers have been the victims of the majority of these instances.
With 38 patients—nearly all of whom were exposed to the virus via dairy herds—California has recorded the highest number of cases, followed by Washington state with 11. Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin have all verified further human infections.
The first human instances of the virus were identified in Ohio and Wyoming in recent weeks. Three dairy veterinarians were identified to have infections in a CDC research, one of whom worked in a state without any affected animals.
The first human death from bird flu occurred in January when a patient in Louisiana died after catching the illness. After being exposed to a backyard flock and wild birds, the patient, an elderly adult with preexisting medical issues, caught the virus.
Hospitalization is still uncommon. According to medical experts, avian flu does not now move easily from person to person or infect humans. According to the CDC, there isn’t much of a risk to the general public, but when the virus evolves and infects more species, including cattle, that might change. Domestic cats have also been confirmed to have the virus.
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Experts are focusing on thorough case surveillance, testing, and a public health approach that acknowledges the interdependence of people, animals, and the environment in order to eradicate bird flu.
According to Maurice Pitesky, a food security specialist at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, healthy animals—both domestic and wild—and healthy surroundings are essential for having healthy humans. In the end, you want to lessen the chance that the virus will spread from those wild waterfowl to those farm animals.
Pressure to protect farms is growing, according to Dr. Amesh Adalja, a scholar and infectious disease physician at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
According to Adalja, the longer this virus persists on farms—particularly by infecting dairy cattle and exposing workers—the greater the likelihood that it may develop into a more deadly form for people.
Since 2022, the virus has been found in over 200 mammals in the United States, primarily wild and feral. Experts believe there is no evidence of transfer from mammal to mammal, though those creatures might have contracted the infection from consuming fresh wild bird carcasses.
Two indoor cats owned by dairy farmworkers had instances, according to a recent CDC research. Raw pet food has been connected to more illnesses in cats. Authorities are warning people not to give their dogs or cats raw pet food or ingest raw milk.
According to Adalja, its chances of adapting to mammals increase with the number of mammals it infects.
As of Tuesday, CDC data shows that since 2022, more than 166 million birds in all 50 states have been infected nationwide. The virus has been found in 51 private flocks and 86 commercial flocks in the last month. In the event of an outbreak, infected flocks of chicken must be killed. Due to shortages, egg costs have skyrocketed at grocery stores around the country.
Recent wild bird deaths are also thought to be caused by the virus. As of mid-February, the state Department of Natural Resources stated that over 300 dead wild birds, including mallard ducks and geese, had been discovered in five Michigan counties. Guidelines have been released by the agency to help property owners and waterfowl hunters keep safe when they come across dead birds.
State health experts are concerned about the ongoing spread of the mosquito-borne illness triple E.
The majority of verified positive cases in her state are found in chicken flocks, according to Melinda Cosgrove, laboratory scientist manager of the department’s Wildlife Health Section. The state maintains an Eyes in the Field webpage where anyone can report ill or deceased wildlife to assist the department in tracking possible instances in the wild.
According to Kevin Snekvik, executive director of the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, the spread across farms is caused by those migrating birds. According to Snekvik, who is also a professor in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology at Washington State University, the culprits are birds that migrate north and south up to Alaska.
By detecting the virus in wastewater, states have also been keeping an eye on changes in bird flu patterns. Since many of its trading partners will not import vaccinated birds, the United States has historically resisted vaccinating poultry. However, earlier this month, a revised vaccine to protect chickens from the H5N1 virus received conditional approval from federal officials.
Earlier this month, officials in Nevada reported that a particular H5N1 genotype that was previously identified in birds had recently spread to dairy calves after being discovered in a milk sample.
Outbreaks involving dairy cows have been documented in 17 states.Although cows typically recover from the virus, in order to stop the virus from spreading further, cattle must be isolated as soon as it is discovered. Humans can contract it through intimate touch.
Despite the widespread cases in dairy farms, not all states have joined a federal-state partnership to test milk. 36 states are now being tested as part of the monitoring effort.
It is critical for public health response to assist dairy and poultry farmworkers in getting tested. However, a large number of farmworkers are foreign-born individuals who may speak Spanish or Indigenous languages and are not entitled to sick leave. According to Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, a food systems expert and human geographer at Syracuse University who specializes in agricultural work, the Trump administration’s deportation initiatives have further discouraged people from reporting symptoms.
She pointed to the fact that many dairy farm workers reside in rural or isolated areas far from urban centers, saying, “You have a population of workers who don’t have access to health care to begin with.” There is this geographical barrier. There is a language barrier for you. There is a cultural barrier for you. Of course, you also have a great deal of fear today.
Since dairy cattle infections were first detected in California in September 2024, the state s Animal Health and Safety Lab, the only lab in the state handling the most dangerous samples, has received between 400 and 2,000 samples weekly, lab director Ashley Hill wrote in an email to Stateline.
The lab currently has just five technicians authorized to do most of the testing and a handful of support staff who can chip in. Lab technicians are set to strike this week along with university health care, research and technical professionals across the state, according to the union, which represents 20,000 workers.
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Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.