The continued spread of avian influenza remains a cause for concern among health officials and the nation’s dairy producers, says Texas A&M University biosecurity expert Dr. Gerald Parker, though the threat to the average American remains low.
Parker, who serves as associate dean for Global One Health at Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, will discuss this outbreak and other pressing public health issues during a panel discussion at the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. He will be joined by Dr. Kiril Dimitrov, assistant director of the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, as well as two experts from the University of California, Davis. The talk will be moderated by Kevin Cain, senior director for governmental affairs with the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.
Parker said 14 states and nearly 200 dairy herds are being impacted by the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian flu, first detected in dairy cows in March. While the spread of avian flu is generally confined to birds, only rarely spilling over to other animals or humans, he said this particular strain has shown an unusual ability to jump from birds to mammals. In addition to widespread transmission among dairy cow populations, the virus as also been detected in a few humans, including a farm worker in Texas this April.
“So far, it hasn’t developed the characteristics for sustained human-to-human transmission. If that were to happen, it could be very worrisome,” Parker said, noting that public health officials have long been concerned about the pandemic potential of H5N1. “We don’t know if that’s going to happen, but the more it circulates in animals, mammals particularly, the more likely it is that it could happen.”
For now, Parker said, the risk to the general public remains low. Those most at risk are the dairy workers and anyone who may have direct contact with infected herds. He said the dairy industry will need to work closely with health authorities to protect their animals and employees as well as the nation at large. “We have to be very vigilant about this,” Parker said. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported one case of avian flu in a human with no known contact with an infected animal.
The H5N1 outbreak is one of several pressing public health issues on the table for Tuesday’s panel discussion. Parker plans to discuss additional steps Congress can take to curb the lingering threat of COVID-19, as well as new concerns surrounding Mpox, previously known as monkeypox. The talk will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern time in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Source : tamu.edu