DES MOINES, Iowa — The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it’s ramping up its efforts to keep the bird flu under control – specifically in humans.
Currently, the CDC said the bird flu’s public health risk remains low, and it wants to keep it that way.
There have been 14 documented cases of bird flu in humans since 2022 according to the CDC, and 13 of those cases have popped up since March of this year.
Four cases came from infected dairy cows and nine from infected poultry.
ABC News reports that all the human cases were mild.
And, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, none of the confirmed cases occurred in Iowa.
So what’s the need and what exactly is the push?
Well, the CDC said it’s investing $5 million into offering seasonal flu vaccines for livestock, dairy and poultry workers. This is meant to prevent someone from getting infected with the seasonal flu and the bird flu at the same time.
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While the CDC labels that risk as very rare and theoretical, if it does happen, it said a new virus could form that could become a significant public health concern.
The vaccination effort, however, could prove to be a challenge.
According to the CDC, less than half of all adults got the seasonal flu vaccine in the 2022 to 2023 flu season.
The CDC also announced it will invest another $5 million into farmworker safety, health outreach and education.
Even though there haven't been confirmed human cases of bird flu in Iowa, the state has seen multiple outbreaks in poultry flocks and dairy cattle.