NEW YORK — The U.S. pays for flu photographs for farmworkers this 12 months, a technique to stop chicken flu from turning into one thing extra harmful.
Dairy and poultry farms are coping with outbreaks of chicken flu, and 13 employees have picked up infections. All instances are delicate and are believed to have unfold straight from contaminated animals to individuals.
However well being officers are frightened about what may occur if persons are contaminated with chicken flu and seasonal flu on the identical time. It is attainable the viruses may swap gene segments, in a course of that scientists name reassortment. Chicken flu, for instance, may acquire the power to unfold as simply amongst individuals as seasonal flu does.
To forestall coinfections, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention on Tuesday mentioned it is going to spend $5 million to purchase seasonal flu photographs and get livestock employees vaccinated this fall, working with state and native officers. One other $5 million might be spent to advertise the photographs.
“We wish to do all the things we are able to to scale back the danger that the virus might change,” mentioned the CDC’s Dr. Nirav Shah.
Learn Extra: We Are Not Secure from Chicken Flu Till We Defend Farmworkers
Seasonal flu photographs don’t shield in opposition to chicken flu. However they could scale back coinfections, he mentioned. The CDC can be discussing the potential of providing some farmworkers the antiviral treatment Tamiflu to stop getting the flu, Shah mentioned.
U.S. officers say there are not less than 200,000 livestock employees within the nation. In line with the Nationwide Middle for Farmworker Well being, a couple of quarter of livestock employees usually get a seasonal flu shot.
Manufacturing of a restricted quantity of chicken flu vaccine for individuals is underway, however the authorities shouldn’t be recommending it for farmworkers. There is not the type of person-to-person unfold that will set off that type of vaccination marketing campaign, Shah mentioned.
A chicken flu virus has been spreading since 2020 amongst mammals—together with canines, cats, skunks, bears and even seals and porpoises—in scores of nations. Earlier this 12 months, the virus generally known as H5N1 was detected in U.S. livestock.
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AP well being author JoNel Aleccia contributed to this report.
