⚠️CDC WARNING FOR ALL VETERINARIANS, POULTRY, DAIRY & CATTLE FARMWORKERS, SLAUGHTERHOUSE WORKERS

[highplainsdem]

I'm leaving that title all-caps because that's what Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding had for the start of his tweet about this a few hours ago.

The CDC's updated guidelines are here: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/h5/worker-protection-ppe.htm

Link to tweet

Eric Feigl-Ding
@DrEricDing
⚠️CDC WARNING FOR ALL VETERINARIANS, POULTRY, DAIRY & CATTLE FARMWORKERS, SLAUGHTERHOUSE WORKERS—New CDC guidelines now released to use PPE for high risk bird flu exposure occupations (all recommended):

📌N95 respirators
📌Goggles 🥽 or face shield 🛡️
📌Coveralls or fluid-resistant aprons
📌Head covering
📌Rubber boots with sealed seams
📌Gloves

Furthermore:
📍Designated areas for changing PPEs
📍Do not eat, drink, chew gum, chew tobacco, smoke, vape, or use the bathroom while wearing above PPE
📍Shower after work shift
📍 see full list for more details).

Glad the
@CDCgov
is taking this seriously. You should too. And please don’t drink raw milk 🥛! #AvianFlu #BirdFlu #H5N1
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/h5/worker-protection-ppe.htm

He also advises, in that thread, "Don't do raw milk" and "protect your cats, too."

[LauraInLA]

1. I'm getting a bit worried about our next-door neighbors who have a backyard chicken coop ;(.

[vanlassie]

5. How would a backyard coop become exposed?

[cbabe]

9. Birds fly everywhere. Difficult if not impossible to protect

outdoor animals, feedlots, etc.

[vanlassie]

2. How am I going to get a mask on my cat?

☹️Protect them how?

[Xavier Breath]

7. Yeah, I was wondering about that too.

Maybe he's thinking of indoor/outdoor cats that hunt and sometimes kill birds?

[vanlassie]

8. Oh that makes sense. Mine are indoor only.

I didn’t really mean to make light of this.

[highplainsdem]

11. See reply 10. House mice can carry the virus, too.

[highplainsdem]

10. I just skimmed through the replies, don't see any recommendations. I'd recommend keeping them

indoors so they won't be likely to eat any infected animals. The virus can also be carried by house mice, unfortunately (I just googled that - https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/10883 ).

Forget about getting a mask on a cat.

[PlutosHeart]

20. Keep them indoors. There

has been documented cases of cats and dogs both getting exposed. High fatality rates.

[mucifer]

3. I feel so bad for the birds people eat. Their lives are horrible

[RandySF]

4. We're toast if that breaks through,

[50 Shades Of Blue]

6. Raw milk seems to have become a real obsession with fundies lately...

[ProfessorGAC]

12. From A Worker Standpoint...

...I'd think raw milk poses a risk for dairy farms.
My dad was a milkman, so I've been inside several dairies.
Even back in the day, it was easy to avoid exposure to raw milk. There are no open vats. Everything is in sanitary piping systems. Only at the fill line is it exposed to air, and by then it's pasteurized.
The people running milking machines, on the other hand, would be easily exposed.

[littlemissmartypants]

13. And if the bird flu doesn't get you the Brucellosis might.

People who aren't following the rules and good sense science just because they think they don't have to and want to make a buck shouldn't be selling food to the public that is possibly unsafe.

I wonder if there's a way to report that behavior to the local health department. Would they be shut down? What recourse do we have if someone drinks unsafe products and gets sick or dies?

Many of these roadside milk sales and they are abundant where I live, advertise that unpasteurized milk is healthier and better for you and nothing could be further from the truth.

[orangecrush]

14. K&R

[wnylib]

15. I think it would be a good idea, too, to make sure that

beef is thoroughly cooked before eating it. I know that people prefer rare or medium rare steaks, but I'd hold off on ordering them or cooking them that way at home for now. Hamburgers and anything made with ground beef should be completely cooked, like meatballs.

I heard on NPR that pasteurized milk should be ok because pasteurization kills the virus. I'm wondering about eggs. Once cooked they should be ok, whether cooked alone or in a recipe, but what about handling them while cooking?

Other meat, like chicken and pork, are (or should be) always completely cooked anyway.

[Bluethroughu]

16. This is nuclear.

Wow.

[BannonsLiver]

27. Thin crust or hand tossed?

[Brother Buzz]

29. This frequent flyer troll loves that frozen crap

[Cha]

31. lol... I said "frozen," too.

[Brother Buzz]

32. LOL, actually I started riffing on Groucho Marx when her name splashed

[Cha]

35. Lol at Groucho.. Yes you must be going as in

Gone again.

[Cha]

30. Lol... definitely Frozen.

[pdxflyboy]

28. Enjoy your stay...

[Kali]

17. that is pretty alarmist and is missing an important phrase from the cdc recommendation

Take steps to reduce your risk of infection with avian influenza A viruses associated with severe disease when working with animals or materials, including raw milk, confirmed infected or potentially infected with these novel influenza A viruses.

it is NOT all animal workers, it is for people around confirmed or suspected infected animals. so far only in poultry and older lactating dairy cows (34 herds in 9 states) - and of course wild birds.
here is the current situation - https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-flu-summary.htm
2 humans infected in 2 years, one from a dairy situation and the other poultry related.

[littlemissmartypants]

18. A worker could unknowingly spread the virus throughout an entire herd and take it home with them.

I'm pretty sure they're not going to test all of the wild birds either but they can spread it just the same.

It's not possible or entirely helpful to use mass testing so using comprehensive infection control procedures make a lot of sense.

Just like with Covid (and many other things) one can be a carrier, test negative and be a vector for the infection. Testing isn't a panacea.

[Kali]

19. the CDC is not recommeding ALL animal workers to take extreme cautions

and I totally agree with them. the recommendations are for actual risk, not alarmist overreacting posts on the internet claiming it is for every worker in contact with animals.

[littlemissmartypants]

22. I'm aware of that. I'm speaking to the different mitigation techniques.

Infection control vs. testing. That's it.

[Kali]

23. Got it

Yes testing also needs to be based on practical realities.

[Zeitghost]

21. The Dr quoted in the OP

Has a flare for the dramatic and get's social media hits from hyperbolic posts.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

34. It's Eric Feigl-Ding - he traffics in alarmist

He found a gravy train in 2020 on Twitter, and now that COVID is endemic he needs something else to scare people for clicks.

[NickB79]

24. I work quality assurance in a dairy plant

There are only 3-4 guys on-site that actually handle incoming raw milk loads before it's pasteurized though.

I'll be curious to see what my QA manager has to say about this Monday.

[BannonsLiver]

26. I bet he's not as hair on fire as Eric Ding

I guess with Covid not moving the social media clout needle anymore Ding has switched to this.

[NickB79]

33. Yeah, I'm expecting a shrug

I'd be shocked if the intake crew had to go back to masks.

[Kali]

36. I would say if it is in an affected state

they might want to exercise some caution, but otherwise just stay informed. the warning in the OP is over the top.

[Bayard]

37. We're not going to stop eating eggs from our hens,

We wash the eggs before cooking them, wash our hands afterward. Not real worried. I strip all the bedding out of the coop and re-bed it about every other week.

I am wondering what they process cow udders for? Pet food?