Bird Flu Likely Spreading Through Shared Personnel, Equipment: USDA

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is likely being spread by people who work on multiple farms, as well as through the sharing of equipment, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on June 13. Farmers with confirmed cases of the influenza in their cattle who answered USDA surveys said that they had used shared trucks or trailers to transport cattle within 30 days of the cows showing clinical signs of influenza, which is also known as bird flu or H5N1. Of the farmers who used shared equipment, 28 percent did not clean the equipment before using it. A significant percentage of workers from the dairy farms also hold jobs at an additional farm, have family members who work on another farm, or visited other farms within 30 days of symptoms appearing among cows at their primary workplace, according to the surveys....