Best Practices for Facilities at Risk of HPAI Employee Infection

Sporadic multi-state outbreaks of H5 bird flu are being reported across the U.S. in poultry and dairy cows. In light of four more confirmed HPAI human cases, poultry, cattle, and other such facilities should be aware that there is a risk of illness for their employees when exposed to these infected animals. To combat this risk, protective practices and efficient monitoring programs should be put in place. Despite recent outbreaks in these agricultural settings, the risk to the general public still remains very low.

On July 12, four human cases of HPAI infection were reported by Colorado to the CDC. A fifth potential case is being monitored, and the CDC will release further information if confirmed. These cases were linked to a poultry facility currently experiencing a H5N1 outbreak. All workers who were infected experienced mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis, as well as fever, chills, coughing, stuffy nose, and sore throat.

These are the first H5 virus infections in poultry farmworkers since 2022 and highlights the need for adequate employee health practices in poultry farms surrounding employee illness monitoring and protection—especially in regions experiencing outbreaks or if you’re seeing potential symptoms in your worker population. Specific suggestions are made on the CDC’s website and it is important to incorporate PPE and GMPs, when appropriate in your operations. TAG can assist in incorporating these methods and others to protect your employees from illness.

 A recent study collected blood samples of 35 Michigan farm workers exposed to H5N1 infected dairy cattle and tested these samples for antibodies against avian influenza. None of the workers had shown signs of illness before the study. Findings showed none of these individuals carried antibodies, which indicate there was no prior infection of H5N1. This demonstrated low seroprevalence to H5N1, even in workers exposed to infected cattle. The CDC also suggests that asymptomatic cases are unlikely—although more research is to be done. Per the NY Times, David O’Connor, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said “We need to look harder for asymptomatic infections before we declare mission accomplished.”

As more monitoring and testing is done by the CDC and others, updates will be available to the public. The CDC’s interim recommendations page includes a table which categorizes individuals at risk of H5N1 infection based on setting and means of exposure. This table will soon incorporate bird- and poultry-related exposures. Another useful resource is TAG’s HPAI FAQ sheet (which is updated as additional data becomes available on the virus) with best methods to prevent infection in employees and across the supply chain. If you have any questions on mitigating employee illness risk in your facility, reach out to TAG’s expert public health and food safety consultants.