The U.S. government is implementing a new strategy to mitigate the risk of bird flu becoming a more severe threat by funding flu shots for farmworkers. This initiative comes in response to recent outbreaks of bird flu on dairy and poultry farms, where 13 workers have contracted mild cases of the virus.
These infections are believed to have occurred directly from contact with infected animals, rather than from human-to-human transmission.
Health officials are particularly concerned about the potential consequences if farmworkers contract both bird flu and seasonal flu simultaneously. Such co-infection could lead to a genetic reassortment between the two viruses, potentially resulting in a new strain of bird flu that spreads more easily among humans.
This reassortment poses a significant risk, as it could lead to a more dangerous and transmissible form of the virus.
To address this concern, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has allocated $5 million to purchase seasonal flu shots for livestock workers this fall and an additional $5 million to promote vaccination.
The CDC’s aim is to reduce the risk of co-infections, thereby decreasing the chance of the virus evolving into a more severe form. While seasonal flu shots do not provide protection against bird flu directly, they may help prevent co-infections.
Additionally, the CDC is exploring the possibility of providing antiviral medication, such as Tamiflu, to some farmworkers to further prevent flu infections. With around 200,000 livestock workers in the U.S., and only about 25% of them typically receiving seasonal flu shots, this new vaccination campaign represents a significant public health effort.
Although the government is developing a bird flu vaccine, it is not yet recommended for farmworkers due to the current level of virus spread, which has not reached the point where such a vaccination campaign is warranted.
The H5N1 bird flu virus has been affecting a range of mammals worldwide since 2020, and its recent detection in U.S. livestock underscores the need for proactive measures to prevent its potential evolution into a more dangerous strain.
