Avian Flu Breaks Out Again, Infects Human

Avian flu shuts down egg facility, spreads to cows, second human infection.

I’ve been sick as a dog the past week, but I wanted to pop in with a quick update on the H5N1 avian flu that’s been ravaging bird flocks for the past couple of years. Maybe I’ve have avian flu? OK probably not, but at least two people have.

Here’s a direct statement from the Texas Department of Agriculture:

Today, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller confirmed the Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. poultry facility in Farwell, Texas has received official notice of a positive test for H5N1. Due to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidance for poultry infections, Cal-Maine will be required to depopulate 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets at their Farwell facility. This accounts for approximately 3.6% of the company's total flock as of March 2, 2024. Production at the facility has temporarily ceased as the Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. initiates protocols prescribed by the USDA.f

Translation: expect egg prices to surge again soon. 1.6 million is only a fraction of the 379 million or so laying hens in the United States, but if past patterns hold, shutting down even one facility will cause prices to spike.

However, the release contains what is even worse news:

This news comes after the Center for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed a positive test of H5N1, a form of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), in a Texas dairy worker who had direct contact with cattle suspected of being infected. The individual became ill after interacting with cattle believed to be carrying the virus, exhibiting conjunctivitis as the primary symptom. This marks the second human case of H5N1 flu in the United States and the first associated with exposure to cattle, according to the CDC.

Yesterday, USDA confirmed five new H5N1 cases in dairy facilities, now totaling eleven across five states. HPAI has been found in dairy herds in Texas (7), Kansas (2), Michigan (1), and New Mexico (1). The presumptive positive test result from Idaho is still pending. Commissioner Miller said the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) will continue monitoring and providing guidance to producers and Texas consumers.

First, the good news: so far, no person-to-person infection has been reported. In the past two years, only two people have been infected with H5N1 and symptoms have been mild: tiredness in the first case and pink eye in the latest one.

However, the virus has now jumped from chickens to cows, and is now quite possibly transmitting between cows. However, H5N1 has been known to infect cats for over 20 years, because cats like bird, but mammal-to-mammal transfer still hasn’t been observed.

If that ever changes, hopefully symptoms will remain mild, but once a large population is exposed, who knows?