CHICAGO — The CDC is deploying a team to Washington state to assess the health of farm workers who culled poultry suffering from bird flu after four workers are presumed to have been infected by the virus, U.S. and state health officials said on Monday.
The cases fuel growing concern among public health experts, as infections of U.S. dairy cattle and more than two dozen farm workers have worried scientists and federal officials about the risks to humans.
California and Washington have said they are seeking to administer seasonal flu vaccines to farm workers to reduce their risk of being infected with both bird flu and seasonal influenza.
“We don’t have evidence yet of transmission between people,” said Roberto Bonaccorso, spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is awaiting specimens for testing from Washington and sending a team to support the state’s assessment of farm workers, an agency spokesperson said.
Persons:
”, Roberto Bonaccorso
Organizations:
CHICAGO, CDC, Washington State Department of Health, Disease Control, Nationwide
Locations:
Washington, California