COLUMBUS — As California confirms its first two human cases of H5N1 bird flu this week, the Ohio Department of Health partnered with the CDC in mid-September to collect and examine blood tests gathered during a conference of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners in Columbus.
About 140 attendees, including many veterinarians, from 45 states were enrolled in the serosurvey, which will assess whether there are any antibodies in the bloodstream as a result of past exposure to H5N1. Once analyzed, the results will be shared with the general public.
Sixteen human cases of H5N1 have been diagnosed this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Six cases resulted from contact with infected dairy cows, nine cases resulted from contact with poultry, and one case in Missouri has had no identifiable source. The immediate risk to the general public remains low.
“It has the potential to cause a pandemic in humans,” Dr. Andrew Pekosz of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said during a media briefing this week on various viruses currently circulating. “The risks to the general public are still considered low but a good deal of work has gone on for H5N1 vaccines.”
H5N1 viruses have jumped from birds to mammals, including dairy cows throughout the country, foxes in Canada and France, and sea lions in Peru and Chile. Most recently, more than 20 tigers and one leopard have died since early September at Mango Garden eco-resort in Dong Nai province in Vietnam. Investigations there continue, but it is thought the animals may have been served chicken meat tainted by the H5N1 virus..
“Every time it adapts, it brings a chance for a better adaptation to humans,” Dr. Pekosz said. “It is a dangerous virus. There is a high emphasis on trying to control this H5N1 outbreak.”
In California, the two farmworkers located in the Central Valley had mild symptoms, and there is no known link or contact between the two cases, suggesting only animal-to-human spread of the virus, according to the California Department of Public Health. The two farmworkers were in contact with infected dairy cows following outbreaks in the state first reported in August.
“Ongoing health checks of individuals who interact with potentially infected animals helped us quickly detect and respond,” said Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, director and state public health officer of the CDPH.
In Michigan, H5N1 was most recently detected in dairy cows in Shiawassee County on Sept. 9, bringing the total count for that state to 37 herds infected this year. Two farmworkers were reported to have mild cases have H5N1 in May. In Ohio, a single herd was infected by H5N1 in Wood County earlier this year.
First Published October 4, 2024, 6:22 p.m.
