Dr. The first calls Barb Petersen received in early March were from dairy owners concerned about the deaths of crows, pigeons and other birds on their Texas farms. Then came the news that the barn cats, half of whom were on the same farm, had suddenly died.
Within days, the Amarillo veterinarian began hearing about sick cows having unusual symptoms: high fevers, reluctance to eat and much less milk. Tests for typical diseases were negative.
Tracking more than 40,000 cattle on a dozen farms in the Texas Panhandle, Petersen collected samples from cats and cows and sent them to his college friend, Dr. Dr., who now works in the veterinary diagnostic laboratory at Iowa State University. He sent it to Drew Magstadt.
The samples tested positive for an avian influenza virus not previously seen in cattle. This was the first evidence that bird flu, known as Type A H5N1, could infect cows. As of Wednesday, infections were confirmed in 36 U.S. herds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“It was just a surprise,” Petersen recalled. “It was just a little bit of disbelief.”
At the same time, Petersen said he sees sick people on almost every farm where sick animals are found.
“We were actively checking people out,” Petersen said. “I had people who never missed work, who missed work.”
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two people have been confirmed to be infected with H5N1 in the US so far; He was a Texas dairy worker linked to the latest cattle outbreak. CDC respiratory disease official Dr. Demetre Daskalakis told reporters on Wednesday that about two dozen people have been tested and about 100 are being monitored since the virus first appeared in cows.
Daskalakis said the CDC hasn’t seen any unusual flu trends in areas with infected cows, but some experts wonder whether anecdotal reports of sick workers mean more than one person caught the virus from the animals.
Petersen said some workers had symptoms consistent with the flu: fever and body aches, nasal congestion or congestion. Some had conjunctivitis, an eye inflammation detected in a Texas dairy worker diagnosed with bird flu.
D., an infectious diseases epidemiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Gregory Gray samples livestock and people on two Texas farms. He said that on farms where cattle infections have been confirmed, there have also been reports of mild illness among workers.
It was difficult to research. Many workers are reluctant to take the test. This may be because they have limited access to healthcare or fear that their private health information will be disclosed.
Gray said without confirmation, no one knows whether the sick workers were infected with the bird flu virus or something unrelated.
“They appear to be linked in time and space, so it’s biologically plausible,” Gray said.
Petersen said some workers who fell ill sought treatment and were prescribed oseltamivir, an antiviral drug sold under the brand name Tamiflu.
CDC spokesman Jason McDonald said the drug was offered to some agricultural workers exposed to infected animals or people. State health officials are responsible for providing evaluation and treatment according to federal guidelines.
Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said health officials in Texas provided Tamiflu to the person known to be infected with H5N1 and his family members, as well as two people exposed to infected animals at a second dairy farm. He said he wasn’t sure if others were offered the antiviral.
Colorado veterinarian Dr., who consulted with Petersen about the outbreak. Kay Russo said farmers are hesitant to allow paramedics onto their land.
“This particular disease is looked at like a scarlet letter,” Russo said. “There’s a stigma around it right now.”
Russo called for broader testing of cattle, humans and milk.
“We don’t know what we can’t measure,” he said. “Unfortunately the horse left the stable and took off much faster than we could take action.”
Gray is worried about this last federal order Requiring testing of all lactating dairy cows moving between states could further hinder cooperation. All laboratories performing tests must report positive results to the Ministry of Agriculture. But he said many farmers may decide not to test in the hope that the outbreak will last longer.
Gray said the reluctance of workers and farmers to allow testing has “massively hindered” understanding of how the virus spreads, how large the epidemic is now and how quickly it could grow.
“It’s a negative, very negative impact,” he said.
Petersen said he understands the fears of workers and farmers. He praised farmers who allowed him to collect the first samples confirming the outbreak and considered what the results might mean.
“You immediately think of the cows and the people who care for them and the families who own these farms,” he said. “You think about the big picture in the long term. Your mind starts to go down this whole worry path.
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