Kaiser Health News
5 Cases of Bird Flu Reported in Colorado Poultry Workers, Doubling This Year’s US Tally
Amy Maxmen
Mon, 15 Jul 2024 17:26:21 +0000
Five people who work at a poultry farm in northeastern Colorado have tested positive for the bird flu, the Colorado public health department reported July 14. This brings the known number of U.S. cases to nine.
The five people were likely infected by chickens, which they had been tasked with killing in response to a bird flu outbreak at the farm.
More than 99 million chickens and turkeys have been infected with a highly pathogenic strain of the bird flu that emerged at U.S. poultry farms in early 2022. Since then, the federal government has compensated poultry farmers more than $1 billion for destroying infected flocks and eggs to keep outbreaks from spreading.
The H5N1 bird flu virus has spread among poultry farms around the world for nearly 30 years. An estimated 900 people have been infected by birds, and roughly half have died from the disease.
The virus made an unprecedented shift this year to dairy cattle in the U.S. This poses a higher threat because it means the virus has adapted to replicate within cows’ cells, which are more like human cells. The four other people diagnosed with bird flu this year in the U.S. worked on dairy farms with outbreaks.
Scientists have warned that the virus could mutate to spread from person to person, like the seasonal flu, and spark a pandemic. There’s no sign of that, yet.
So far, all nine cases reported this year have been mild, consisting of eye irritation, a runny nose, and other respiratory symptoms. However, numbers remain too low to say anything certain about the disease because, in general, flu symptoms can vary among people with only a minority needing hospitalization.
The number of people who have gotten the virus from poultry or cattle may be higher than nine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tested only about 60 people over the past four months, and powerful diagnostic laboratories that typically detect diseases remain barred from testing. Testing of farmworkers and animals is needed to detect the H5N1 bird flu virus, study it, and stop it before it becomes a fixture on farms.
Researchers have urged a more aggressive response from the CDC and other federal agencies to prevent future infections. Many people exposed regularly to livestock and poultry on farms still lack protective gear and education about the disease. And they don’t yet have permission to get a bird flu vaccine.
Nearly a dozen virology and outbreak experts recently interviewed by KFF Health News disagree with the CDC’s decision against vaccination, which may help prevent bird flu infection and hospitalization.
“We should be doing everything we can to eliminate the chances of dairy and poultry workers contracting this virus,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. “If this virus is given enough opportunities to jump from cows or poultry into people, it will eventually get better at infecting them.”
To understand whether cases are going undetected, researchers in Michigan have sent the CDC blood samples from workers on dairy farms. If they detect bird flu antibodies, it’s likely that people are more easily infected by cattle than previously believed.
“It’s possible that folks may have had symptoms that they didn’t feel comfortable reporting, or that their symptoms were so mild that they didn’t think they were worth mentioning,” said Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for the state of Michigan.
In hopes of thwarting a potential pandemic, the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and about a dozen other countries are stockpiling millions of doses of a bird flu vaccine made by the vaccine company CSL Seqirus.
Seqirus’ most recent formulation was greenlighted last year by the European equivalent of the FDA, and an earlier version has the FDA’s approval. In June, Finland decided to offer vaccines to people who work on fur farms as a precaution because its mink and fox farms were hit by bird flu last year.
The CDC has controversially decided not to offer at-risk groups bird flu vaccines. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told KFF Health News that the agency is not recommending a vaccine campaign at this point for several reasons, even though millions of doses are available. One is that cases still appear to be limited, and the virus isn’t spreading rapidly between people as they sneeze and breathe.
The agency continues to rate the public’s risk as low. In a statement posted in response to the new Colorado cases, the CDC said its bird flu recommendations remain the same: “An assessment of these cases will help inform whether this situation warrants a change to the human health risk assessment.”
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By: Amy Maxmen
Title: 5 Cases of Bird Flu Reported in Colorado Poultry Workers, Doubling This Year’s US Tally
Sourced From: kffhealthnews.org/news/article/five-bird-flu-cases-colorado-poultry-workers-virus-spread/
Published Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2024 17:26:21 +0000
Kaiser Health News
For People With Opioid Addiction, Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Raises the Stakes
SUMMARY: Stephanie, a Florida resident recovering from opioid addiction, faced a crisis when she lost her Medicaid coverage during the state‘s eligibility reevaluation after COVID-19 protections ended. Her treatment with methadone, crucial for managing cravings, became financially burdensome. Reports indicate over 1.9 million Floridians lost Medicaid, jeopardizing addiction treatment access. Experts stress that interruptions in care increase overdose risks. Nonprofits like Operation PAR are struggling to assist uninsured patients amid rising demand. While some individuals regained coverage, many face ongoing challenges, emphasizing the need for stable funding sources to ensure continued access to lifesaving medications for those in recovery.
The post For People With Opioid Addiction, Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Raises the Stakes appeared first on kffhealthnews.org
Kaiser Health News
Toddler’s Backyard Snakebite Bills Totaled More Than a Quarter Million Dollars
SUMMARY: Two-year-old Brigland Pfeffer was bitten by a rattlesnake in his backyard in San Diego shortly after his birthday. His mother rushed him to the hospital, where medical staff faced challenges administering antivenom due to difficulties finding a vein. Eventually, an alternative method delivered the antivenom, stabilizing Brigland. His treatment cost $297,461, primarily for 30 vials of antivenom. Despite insurance negotiation, the family faced significant out-of-pocket costs. Brigland’s injuries included nerve damage, but he has since healed. Following the incident, the family installed snake fencing to enhance safety in their yard.
The post Toddler’s Backyard Snakebite Bills Totaled More Than a Quarter Million Dollars appeared first on kffhealthnews.org
Kaiser Health News
JD Vance Fact Check: Illegal Immigration Isn’t Causing Rural Hospital Closures
SUMMARY: VP nominee JD Vance claimed that providing care for undocumented immigrants is bankrupting hospitals and causing closures. However, fact-checking reveals that while undocumented populations may be more likely to be uninsured, their presence does not directly result in hospitals failing financially. Many states offer coverage for these individuals, and factors like low Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates, decreased patient volumes, and prolonged financial decline significantly contribute to rural hospital closures. Therefore, Vance’s assertion that care for unauthorized immigrants is the primary reason for hospital bankruptcies is misleading. The claim has been rated false.
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said providing care for immigrants without legal status was “bankrupting” rural hospitals and forcing them to close.
Although that population is more likely to be uninsured, living in the country illegally does not mean people lack the ability to pay for health care — especially if they live in states that offer them insurance coverage.
Research shows many factors contribute to rural hospital closures — not solely financial losses from providing care for those without insurance, whether those people are migrants in the country illegally or U.S. citizens.
KFF Health News and @politifact rate Vance’s statement False.
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