Embargoed until:
Publicly released:
2024-08-08 07:00
The cases of two dairy farm workers in Michigan who caught the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu in May show that there is an ongoing risk of the virus being spread through direct and close exposure to raw milk and secretions from infected dairy cows, say researchers from the US. One of the dairy workers was not using personal protective equipment and was splashed in the eye with milk while milking a cow at a farm with confirmed H5N1 bird flu. The other worker was on a different farm and was caring for ill cows, including giving them oral medications, known as drenching. This worker used eye protection and gloves but did not use a respirator or a mask.
Journal/conference: New England Journal of Medicine
Link to research (DOI): 10.1056/NEJMc2407264
Organisation/s: Mid-Michigan District Health Department, USA
Funder: Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available after the embargo lifts with the full text of this letter at NEJM.org.
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