This week’s summary of important updates:
|
Confirmed Cases |
# of States |
|
| Last 30 days |
33 |
6 (Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas) |
| Total outbreak |
173 |
13 |
* Interactive map showing the status of all states.
All new cases this past week were in Colorado. Last week’s update summarized the devastating effects that H5N1 is having on both the dairy and poultry industries in the state and the state’s implementation of mandatory bulk tank milk monitoring.
To date, Colorado has reported nine human cases of avian influenza associated with infected poultry farms during this current outbreak. The total number of human cases associated with the current H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle and poultry since March of this year is 13. The CDC is investigating the route of transmission in each case; however, they report that in past cases the virus has been transmitted to humans when proper personal protective equipment is not used. Now, we all know that wearing masks and safety glasses is uncomfortable, especially in warm weather; however, it is essential to prevent the spread of disease. The full CDC report can be found here.
Human transmission: A new study reported by the National Institute of Health earlier this month shows that in ferrets (used as a model for humans due to their similar respiratory tracts) the HPAI H5N1 virus found in dairy cattle is specifically adapted to be able to bind to cells of the upper respiratory tract of humans as well as cattle. This means that transmission to humans could be easier than with previous viral strains. The good news is that the virus, in ferrets, was not spread effectively through respiratory droplets (coughing, sneezing etc.). The summary report can be found here.
