CDC calls for expanding bird flu virus testing

In a press briefing on Nov. 7 , the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced its recommendation to test farmworkers who were exposed to animals infected with bird flu regardless of whether these individuals develop symptoms. This move revises the agency’s previous recommendation to test only symptomatic people exposed to H5N1-infected animals. The CDC had issued that advice in April, when multiple states first reported an outbreak of bird flu in dairy cows . The update is the result of a new study conducted by the CDC that found evidence of recent H5N1 infection among farmworkers who don’t recall experiencing any disease symptoms ( Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep . 2024, DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7344a3 ). For the study, CDC researchers teamed up with state officials to collect blood samples from individuals working on dairy farms in Michigan and Colorado that had infected cows. Between June and August 2024, 115