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Michigan Farmworker Diagnosed With Bird Flu, Becoming 2nd U.S. Case Tied to Dairy Cows
A Michigan dairy worker has been diagnosed with bird flu — the second human case associated with an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows. The patient had mild eye symptoms and has recovered, U.S. and Michigan health officials said in announcing the case Wednesday. The worker had been in contact with cows presumed to be infected, and the risk to the public remains low, officials said.
A nasal swab from the person tested negative for the virus, but an eye swab tested positive, “indicating an eye infection,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.
Since 2020, a bird flu virus has been spreading among more animal species — including dogs, cats, skunks, bears and even seals and porpoises — in scores of countries. The detection in U.S. livestock earlier this year was an unexpected twist that sparked questions about food safety and whether it would start spreading among humans.
The new case marks the third time a person in the United States has been diagnosed with what’s known as Type A H5N1 virus. In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program picked it up while killing infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered. That predated the virus’s appearance in cows.
What Happened to Antibiotic-Free Chicken?
Seven years ago, Tyson — one of the largest chicken producers in the world — made headlines with its commitment to “eliminate antibiotics in chicken.” Then, last summer, the company changed its policy: Instead of “no antibiotics ever” (referred to as NAE in the industry), Tyson’s farmers would go back to using antibiotics. They would refrain only from using drugs considered “important in human medicine.”
Given the company produces about a quarter of the chicken in the country, ripple effects ensued. At the Los Angeles United School District, school nutrition directors were left scrambling to find another supplier in order to honor a long-standing public commitment to get antibiotics out of student meals. Then, in March, Chick-fil-A — which has used Tyson as a supplier in the past — also backpedaled on a 2014 commitment to serving antibiotic-free chicken, citing supply concerns.
As the impacts came into focus, advocates and experts who had been pointing to the chicken industry as a model for how food corporations could make real progress toward improving practices that threaten public health looked on in dismay.
Now, despite all the prior momentum, none of them are exclusively practicing “no antibiotics ever” production. And some emerging research suggests that a class of drugs these companies are regularly using may contribute to the development of resistant strains of bacteria that do threaten human health.
Maker of Popular Weedkiller Amplifies Fight Against Cancer-Related Lawsuits
After failing in several U.S. states this year, global chemical manufacturer Bayer said Tuesday that it plans to amplify efforts to create a legal shield against a proliferation of lawsuits alleging it failed to warn that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer.
Bayer, which disputes the cancer claims, has been hit with about 170,000 lawsuits involving its Roundup weedkiller and has set aside $16 billion to settle cases. But the company contends the legal fight “is not sustainable” and is looking to state lawmakers for relief.
Bayer lobbied for legislation that could have blocked a central legal argument this year in Missouri, Iowa and Idaho — home, respectively, to its North America crop science division, a Roundup manufacturing facility and the mines from which its key ingredient is derived. Though bills passed at least one chamber in Iowa and Missouri, they ultimately failed in all three states.
The legislation backed by Bayer would protect pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn their products could cause cancer if their labels otherwise comply with EPA regulations.
Assembly Passes Bill to Require Farmers to Notify Before Using Pesticides Near Schools
The state Assembly on Tuesday passed legislation that would require farms within a quarter-mile of a school to notify county officials before spraying pesticides.
The intent of Assembly Bill 1864, authored by Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael), is to reduce exposure to pesticides in young children, who are uniquely impacted by the carcinogens. The legislation now heads to the state Senate for consideration.
Before the Assembly vote on Tuesday, Connolly argued that the prevalence of the chemicals near classrooms is a source of anxiety for parents of school-age kids living in some of the state’s most rural counties where schoolyards and farms often border each other.
Last month a group of teachers and environmental and social justice groups sued Monterey County agriculture officials and state pesticide regulators, alleging they disregarded children’s health by allowing several farms to use restricted pesticides near three elementary and middle schools, whose students are mostly Latino.
Vermont Governor Vetoes Bill to Restrict Pesticide That Is Toxic to Bees, Saying It’s Anti-Farmer
Vermont’s Republican Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed a bill to severely restrict a type of pesticide that’s toxic to bees and other pollinators, saying the legislation “is more anti-farmer than it is pro-pollinator.”
The bill would have banned the use of neonicotinoids — commonly called neonics — as well as selling or distributing soybean and cereal grain seeds that are coated in the substance. The pesticides are neurotoxins and are the most widely used class of insecticides in the world, lawmakers have said.
“It’s hard to believe that the governor chose World Bee Day to veto this sensible legislation to protect bees and other pollinators from toxic pesticides while supporting farmers through a just transition to safer alternatives,” Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, said a statement on Monday.
Vermont’s legislature passed the bill after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed what she described as a nation-leading bill last year to severely limit the use of neonics in her state.
First Human H5N1 Case Reported in Australia as Another Highly Pathogenic Strain of Bird Flu Detected on Victorian Farm
A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu has been detected in Australia for the first time, in a child returning from overseas.
The report comes as Victorian authorities confirmed that a bird flu outbreak on an egg farm is not the H5N1 strain that is causing global concern but is another highly pathogenic strain.
The Victorian Health Department on Wednesday reported that a child who had recently returned to Australia from India had tested positive to the H5N1 virus. The child, who arrived in Australia in March, experienced a “severe infection” but has since made a full recovery and contact tracing has not identified any further cases of avian influenza.
It removes Australia’s status as the only continent not to have a confirmed case of H5N1 in a bird or mammal. The H5N1 strain has yet to be detected in birds in Australia.
Fish Oil Supplements May Raise Risk of Stroke, Heart Issues, Study Suggests
As an excellent source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, daily fish oil supplements are a popular way to keep the risk of cardiovascular disease at bay.
About 20% of adults older than age 60 in the United States frequently use these products with the aim of supporting heart health. However, a new study finds regular use of fish oil supplements may increase, not reduce, the risk of first-time stroke and atrial fibrillation among people in good cardiovascular health.
The study analyzed data on over 415,000 people ages 40 to 69 participating in the UK Biobank, a longitudinal study of the health of people in the United Kingdom. Nearly one-third of those people, who were followed for an average of 12 years, said they regularly used fish oil supplements.
Over-the-counter fish oil suffers from a lack of purity and consistency, as well as the potential contaminants and heavy metals such as mercury that come with fish, cardiologist Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver, said.
