US expands bird flu testing

NDO - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday that people working on farms that have contact with animals infected with avian influenza should be tested even if they have no symptoms.

The CDC's change in testing recommendations comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also expanding avian influenza testing on milk, reflecting concerns by both agencies about the continued spread of the avian influenza virus on dairy and poultry farms.

According to USDA data, bird flu has infected nearly 450 dairy farms in 15 states since March.

The CDC said in a news conference that there have been no mutations in the bird flu virus that would make it more transmissible or evidence of human-to-human spread.

The CDC has identified 46 human cases of bird flu since April, although farmworker groups say the number is an underestimate because they avoid testing because they fear the economic impact of quarantine or because symptoms are too mild to be of concern.

Recent tests of 115 dairy farm workers in Michigan and Colorado who came into contact with cows infected with H5N1 avian influenza found that 7% of them had evidence of previous infection, but only half remembered having symptoms, according to a CDC study released Thursday.

Disease experts have warned that once the virus is present, the risk of it becoming more transmissible to humans increases, potentially leading to a pandemic.

"There may be individuals who have been infected with H5 but they don't remember having symptoms. That means we, as public health professionals, need to expand our testing...", said Nirav Shah, deputy director of the CDC.

Serological studies from June to August found evidence of antibodies against the virus in eight workers involved in milking and cleaning milking stalls.

The CDC also recommended providing the antiviral drug Tamiflu to workers at high risk of exposure to sick animals and expanded guidance on protective equipment for workers, including eye protection.

A pig at an Oregon farm tested positive for bird flu for the first time in the United States on October 30, raising concerns among virologists because pigs have been the source of previous human pandemics. A second pig at the farm also tested positive on November 6, the USDA said.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/my-mo-rong-dien-xet-nghiem-cum-gia-cam-post843795.html