MEAT+POULTRY - August 2024 - 12

WASHINGTON
Eyes on an outbreak
The US Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) has not changed
its stance on the risk level of highly
pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to
the public or its recommendations for
poultry and dairy workers following
recent reports of five positive cases
in humans at a commercial egg
layer operation.
CDC confirmed the presence of
HPAI in four Colorado workers on
July 14, along with a fifth presumptive
positive case. The outbreak marked
the first human HPAI case in a poultry
worker since the first and only other
reported poultry worker case in 2022.
The five workers reported mild
illness, with symptoms including
conjunctivitis, eye tearing, fever, chills,
coughing and sore throats. None have
been hospitalized, and all were offered
Tamiflu and are now recovering, said
Nirav Shah, principal deputy director
of the CDC, in a press call on July 16.
" CDC is not recommending H5specific
vaccines for livestock workers,
given the mild symptoms that have
been noted thus far and the absence
of any changes to the virus's genetic
makeup that would suggest the risk to
human health has increased, " he said.
Approximately 160 people were
working on the affected site to
depopulate the birds following the
Colorado poultry farm outbreak,
including producers, employees,
contractors and US Department of
Agriculture employees, said Julie
Gauthier, executive director of field
operations for the USDA's
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service.
The CDC
obtained samples
from approximately
60 people on the
farm who were
symptomatic, which
have all been processed,
indicating that among those
only five were positive for H5N1.
Shah commended the quick
response of Colorado health and
agriculture officials following the
human cases.
Public health
officials have
not changed their
stance on the risk
level of HPAI to
the public.
is a key question, " Shah said. " In this
situation, environmental factors may
have played a role. "
Namely, at the time that
transmission is thought to have
occurred, Colorado temperatures
reached 104°F. Shah points out
that the barns in which culling
operations occur were likely
even hotter, making PPE use
a challenge. The facility used
large-scale industrial fans
to help keep the barn cool;
however, those fans also spread
feathers around, which are known
to carry the virus.
Additionally, the culling method
used involved workers moving
from chicken to chicken, increasing
potential interaction with an
infected bird.
Colorado officials were very
proactive by requesting personal
protective equipment (PPE) back in
May, said David Boucher, director of
infectious disease preparedness and
response at the Administration for
Strategic Preparedness and Response
(ASPR). They requested 5,000 goggles,
over 300,000 gloves and 150,000
N95 masks.
In response to the current
situation, Colorado public health
officials requested Tamiflu that
was overnighted.
" Understanding why an outbreak
occurs at a particular time and place
" PPE use was not optimal,
particularly the masks and eye
protection, " Shah said, adding that
with the air movement from the fans,
workers found it difficult to find a good
seal for PPE.
The infected poultry farm is in a
county where cows have also tested
positive for H5N1, noted Eric Deeble,
deputy undersecretary for marketing
and regulatory programs at USDA on
the call. A total of 9.4 million birds in
Colorado have been affected by this
outbreak, according to USDA. CDC's
investigation of the outbreak.
RACHAEL OATMAN | roatman@sos land.com
" Understanding why an outbreak occurs
at a particular time and place is a key
question. In this situation, environmental
factors may have played a role. "
- NIRAV SHAH
12 MEAT+POULTRY | 08.24 | www.meatpoultry.com
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MEAT+POULTRY - August 2024

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