"Bird Flu Found In Michigan Dairy Worker, Second U.S. Case In Two Months"

"Federal officials ramp up testing and vaccines in case of broader spread."

"A Michigan dairy worker has been infected with a highly virulent bird flu, the second human case in less than two months of the H5N1 virus circulating among dairy cows.

Federal officials said Wednesday that the case does not change their assessment that the risk to the general public remains low. But in a sign of increased urgency, they announced additional financial incentives for dairy producers to expand testing of cattle and accelerated the timetable to ready nearly 5 million doses of vaccine in case the virus becomes more widespread among people.

The second case did not come as a surprise, officials said, because public health surveillance has been monitoring for additional cases since April, when federal officials announced a dairy worker in Texas was being treated for bird flu shortly after the highly pathogenic avian influenza had been identified in U.S. dairy cattle for the first time."

Lena H. Sun and Rachel Roubein report for the Washington Post May 22, 2024.

Source: Washington Post, 05/24/2024