According to a recent study, several vets believe that avian flu has discreetly spread from animals.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, which was released on Thursday, supports two smaller studies that found signs of infection in farmworkers who had not been previously identified.While none of the vets in the new paper recalled any H5N1 bird flu symptoms, some of the sick workers in those trials did.
A cat in Oregon was put down.
Dr. Gregory Gray, an infectious disease expert at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, said the latest study offers further proof that the official U.S. figure of confirmed human bird flu infections—68 in the past year—is probably a huge underestimate.
According to Gray, this indicates that people are being infected, most likely as a result of their work-related exposures, but they are not showing symptoms of their illness and are not seeking medical attention. He claimed that by merely monitoring patients who visit medical facilities with symptoms, officials are unable to completely comprehend how bird flu is spread.
In September 2024, CDC researchers traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for a veterinary symposium hosted by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. They asked 150 veterans from 46 states to consent to have their blood collected and to complete a questionnaire. None reported experiencing avian flu-related symptoms, such as red eyes.
Three of the veterinarians, or 2%, exhibited antibodies to the H5N1 illness, according to testing. All three worked with a variety of animals, including dairy cattle. While one reported working with a flock of diseased chickens, none reported working with a herd that was known to be contaminated.
Two, or 14%, of the 14 dairy farmworkers in a study conducted by Gray and colleagues last year showed signs of prior infections. Despite having symptoms, neither was ever given a diagnosis.
115 dairy workers were examined in a different CDC research that was released last year. Eight of them, or 7%, had blood evidence of a recent infection, the researchers discovered. Half remembered being sick.
According to Gray, the studies were far too tiny to serve as a basis for a reliable estimate of the number of undiagnosed human infections that exist. However, he pointed out that even a very tiny percentage might result in hundreds or thousands of Americans contracting the infection when handling animals.
According to Jacqueline Nolting, a researcher from Ohio State University who assisted CDC with the most recent study, there isn’t necessarily cause for concern.
The good news is that existing research indicates that infected individuals may build natural immunity and produce antibody responses, she said.
That would be an entirely other matter, Nolting added, if the virus mutated or changed in a way that made people really ill or made it easier for it to spread from person to person.
Among wild birds, chickens, cows, and other animals, the H5N1 bird flu has been spreading extensively. According to officials, the likelihood that people will be exposed to it and perhaps contract it is increased by its growing environmental presence.
According to the CDC, there is now little risk to the general public. However, officials are still advising persons who come into touch with sick or dead birds to take measures, such as handling poultry with gloves and protective eye and respiratory gear.
According to Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, there is no doubt that the virus has been spreading across the nation more than has been reported.
He stated that he anticipated seeing more information advising vets nationwide to wear masks, gloves, and other protective gear in order to prevent infection.
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