The CDC has urgently convened a health committee on a possible outbreak of avian flu in the United States – amid fears the virus could soon spread to humans.
Top agency officials met with local health officials Friday and asked them to have “up-to-date operational plans” in case H5N1 begins to spread among humans.
So far, only one case has been reported in a person in Texas, but doctors are now being asked to test other farmworkers if they suspect infection.
Officials say the risk of bird flu to the public is low, but farm workers in close contact with infected animals and equipment are at higher risk.
The meeting was led by senior officials, including CDC deputy director Nirav Shah and its director, Dr. Demeter Daskalakis, who was involved in the national response to the 2022 monkeypox — or mpox — outbreak.
At the meeting, officials stressed that the risk to the public remains low but that local health officials must be “ready to respond.”
A statement from the CDC said: “The CDC has recommended that state public health officials…ensure they have up-to-date operational plans for responding to avian influenza at the state level.”
“For example, the CDC has emphasized the importance of having plans in place to quickly test and provide treatment to potentially affected agricultural workers following positive results among cattle herds.
“The CDC has also encouraged state health officials to communicate about the challenges they are facing.”
Representatives from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials also attended the meeting, whose members include health officials from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories.
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