CDC Urges States to Distribute Protective Gear to Farmworkers to Guard Against Bird Flu

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has asked that states make personal protective equipment (PPE) available to workers on dairy farms, poultry farms, and in slaughterhouses given concerns about the H5N1 bird flu.

Although CDC’s assessment of the immediate risk to the U.S. public from avian influenza remains low, the agency highlighted the importance of states acting to protect people with work exposures, who may be at higher risk of infection.

CDC asked state and regional health departments to work with their state agriculture department counterparts and partners in communities, such as farmworker organizations, that can help facilitate PPE distributions.

CDC Principal Deputy Director Nirav D. Shah recommended that states prioritize distribution of PPE to farms with herds in which a cow was confirmed to be infected with avian flu, noting that some states have already distributed PPE to dairy farms.

States were asked to use existing PPE stockpiles for this effort. Shah also briefed state officials on how to request additional PPE from the strategic national stockpile, if needed.

H5N1 is a contagious viral disease of domestic poultry and wild birds. It can be deadly to domestic poultry and can wipe out entire flocks within a matter of days. While it causes less severe illness in cattle than in poultry, the disease remains of concern for all livestock and also for humans who come into contact with infected animals.

The CDC reports that there have been 36 incidents of bird flu found in domestic livestock in nine states: Texas, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio, Colorado and Idaho.

To date, the Food and Drug Administration testing of dairy and meat products have indicated the products are safe for humans.