California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency after avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as avian influenza, was detected in dairy cows in Southern California. The declaration is ostensibly aimed at strengthening state response efforts and increasing coordination among government agencies. However, given the low public health risk associated with the virus and the limited impact on human health and food safety, serious questions have been raised regarding the need for this measure.
declaration
Governor Newsom characterized this declaration as a necessary measure to accelerate the state's response and protect public health.
“This declaration is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to quickly respond to this outbreak,” Newsom said. He added:
Building on California's testing and surveillance system, the largest in the nation, we are working to further protect public health, support the agricultural industry, and ensure Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information.
The governor acknowledged that “the risk to the public remains low,” but promised to “continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”
countermeasure
California public health agencies, including the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), are implementing measures to monitor and control the spread of H5N1. We are teaching. . These agencies have implemented a variety of measures to combat the outbreak. These measures include expanded testing on dairy farms to identify infections early and track the presence of the virus in livestock populations.
The state is distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) to farm workers who have direct contact with animals. This measure aims to reduce the possibility of infection during routine tasks such as feeding, milking and handling livestock.
The state has also launched a public relations campaign targeting dairy and poultry workers through multilingual support, and agricultural workers who do not speak English or have limited access to health-related guidance. We ensure that information reaches the.
Additionally, California is currently providing vaccination assistance to agricultural workers to reduce the risk of co-infection with seasonal influenza. “Seasonal influenza vaccines may prevent severe illness from seasonal influenza and reduce the likelihood that human and avian influenza viruses will mix and become more dangerous,” CDPH asserts.
Low risk to humans
While Governor Newsom outlined the state of emergency as a “targeted action” to protect public health, animal health and food safety experts say the virus poses minimal risk to humans and food safety. It insists there is no threat to supply.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), avian influenza infection in humans is extremely rare. These only occur when people have close contact with infected animals over an extended period of time. As of the November 18 update, the CDC had recorded a total of 52 human cases of avian influenza, all of whom were farmworkers. The agency noted that all patients experienced mild symptoms and did not require hospitalization. Viruses do not spread from person to person.
first severe case
Newsom's declaration coincided with the first severe human case of bird flu reported in the United States. The CDC says a hospitalized patient in Louisiana was exposed to sick or dead birds from a backyard flock. This would be the first U.S. case linked to such an exposure. The agency emphasizes that no human-to-human transmission has been detected. It maintained that the overall risk to the public remains low.
The Louisiana Department of Health told CNN that the patient is “65 years of age or older and has underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of influenza complications.”
As The New American reported in June, Western countries, including the United States, believe that avian influenza has a strong pandemic potential because of its potential to mutate. In response, they are ramping up vaccine production. Efforts to shape public perception of the threat posed by the virus appear to be well underway. In early December, Scientific American, a prominent mainstream pop science magazine known for its left-leaning bias, published that bird flu is only “one more mutation away” from becoming more transmissible to humans.
Low risk to food supply
The CDC emphasizes that cooking meat and poultry and pasteurizing dairy products effectively destroys the virus and makes them safe to consume.
“There is no evidence that people in the United States have contracted avian influenza after eating properly prepared chicken or poultry,” the CDC said on its official website. This also applies to milk, as commercial pasteurization kills pathogens such as influenza viruses.
CDFA echoed this message, noting that the presence of avian influenza in dairy cows does not affect the safety of dairy products. “Pasteurized milk and dairy products, as well as properly processed meat and eggs, remain safe to consume,” the agency said.
CDPH reiterated this message in an update Wednesday.
Concerns about cattle health and slaughter
Although avian influenza primarily affects birds, avian influenza has also been detected in dairy cows throughout the United States. In cattle, the virus is often identified through testing rather than symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they usually appear as mild problems. These include decreased appetite, decreased milk production, and changes in milk quality. Unlike the rapid spread in birds, the virus spreads slowly among cattle. This will enable farmers to control the virus through enhanced biosecurity protocols such as isolation, disinfection, and proper hygiene practices.
Despite these containment measures being available, health officials in several states are choosing to culle infected herds. Given the limited spread of the virus in cattle and the effectiveness of available treatments, this approach appears to be overkill. In California, kill rates are as high as 20 percent in some herds. According to Reuters, this is significantly higher than the national average of 2%.
The rationale for culling remains unclear, especially since the virus does not pose a long-term threat to cow health or dairy product safety.
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