Buisness as usual in California dairy regions.

[RonO]

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-11-26/bird-flu-warnings-are-going-unheeded-at-many-dairy-farms

The dairy flu was detected in dairy flu last week and it seems to be
buisness as usual on the California dairy farms.

QUOTE:
Nearby, workers herded some of the animals onto a rotating platform
within the farm’s milking parlor and quickly attached pumping equipment.
The machines buzzed and whirred as the cows were carried in a lazy arc
to the parlor’s exit, where they were detached from milk hoses and sent
on their way.

The scene seemed utterly unremarkable — except for the fact that five
days earlier, the H5N1 bird flu virus that has ravaged California’s
dairy herds for the last three months, had been confirmed on the farm.
Although dozens of cows were sick, and their owner expected that number
to climb, none of the farm’s workers wore personal protective equipment
and vehicles from off site were let in and out with nary a hint of concern.
END QUOTE:

The have a picture of dead cows in the article.

It sounds like the California dairy workers are not heeding the CDC's
advice to use protective gear on infected farms. It sounds like it
needs to be a requirement not just a recommendation.

These workers are getting infected and then infecting other dairies that
they also work at and poultry farms. It probably only takes a 5 to 10%
infection rate to account for spread of the virus. It is stupid to deny
reality at this time with millions of birds already down and all the
infected dairies detected by contact tracing. A lot more workers are
getting infected than they have tested. Even in California they seem to
have tested less than 50 dairy workers total (28 confirmed to have been
infected and producing detectable virus). That is so crazy at this time
with 400 dairies infected and what is their excuse? They have no
excuse. Hundreds of dairy workers should have been tested by now in
just California. No one wants to confirm what has been happening for a
very long time. Infected workers shed live virus and take it to other
dairies and poultry farms. This is not rocket science, and the CDC and
USDA have understood this since the first poultry farm was infected and
the first infected dairy worker was shedding live culturable virus. How
did they think the states that did not get dairy cattle got infected
dairy herds? They obviously got migrant dairy workers.

The articles observed for this news article were not wearing protective
equipment, and will likely just add to the number of infected humans.

QUOTE:
No expert will say that H5N1 bird flu is going to become the next global
pandemic, and government health officers say the virus poses a low risk
to the public. However, some experts warn that nearly all the conditions
needed for the virus to develop a threatening mutation are now present
in many dairy farms: Lax testing protocols; close, unprotected contact
between humans and animals; a general failure to take the threat
seriously enough; and the approach of human flu season.
END QUOTE:

What is the CDC's excuse for the current situation? 8% of the dairy
workers tested in Colorado and Michigan for H5 antibodies were positive,
so the CDC and USDA should have known for a very long time how most of
the dairy herds were being infected, but they did nothing to stop the
spread. They needed to identify all the infected herds and prevent
further dairy worker contacts with other farms that had not yet been
infected.

Ron Okimoto

[RonO]

Post by RonO
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-11-26/bird-flu-warnings-
are-going-unheeded-at-many-dairy-farms
The dairy flu was detected in dairy flu last week and it seems to be
buisness as usual on the California dairy farms.
Nearby, workers herded some of the animals onto a rotating platform
within the farm’s milking parlor and quickly attached pumping equipment.
The machines buzzed and whirred as the cows were carried in a lazy arc
to the parlor’s exit, where they were detached from milk hoses and sent
on their way.
The scene seemed utterly unremarkable — except for the fact that five
days earlier, the H5N1 bird flu virus that has ravaged California’s
dairy herds for the last three months, had been confirmed on the farm.
Although dozens of cows were sick, and their owner expected that number
to climb, none of the farm’s workers wore personal protective equipment
and vehicles from off site were let in and out with nary a hint of concern.
The have a picture of dead cows in the article.
It sounds like the California dairy workers are not heeding the CDC's
advice to use protective gear on infected farms.  It sounds like it
needs to be a requirement not just a recommendation.
These workers are getting infected and then infecting other dairies that
they also work at and poultry farms.  It probably only takes a 5 to 10%
infection rate to account for spread of the virus.  It is stupid to deny
reality at this time with millions of birds already down and all the
infected dairies detected by contact tracing.  A lot more workers are
getting infected than they have tested.  Even in California they seem to
have tested less than 50 dairy workers total (28 confirmed to have been
infected and producing detectable virus).  That is so crazy at this time
with 400 dairies infected and what is their excuse?  They have no
excuse.  Hundreds of dairy workers should have been tested by now in
just California.  No one wants to confirm what has been happening for a
very long time.  Infected workers shed live virus and take it to other
dairies and poultry farms.  This is not rocket science, and the CDC and
USDA have understood this since the first poultry farm was infected and
the first infected dairy worker was shedding live culturable virus.  How
did they think the states that did not get dairy cattle got infected
dairy herds?  They obviously got migrant dairy workers.
The articles observed for this news article were not wearing protective
equipment, and will likely just add to the number of infected humans.
No expert will say that H5N1 bird flu is going to become the next global
pandemic, and government health officers say the virus poses a low risk
to the public. However, some experts warn that nearly all the conditions
needed for the virus to develop a threatening mutation are now present
in many dairy farms: Lax testing protocols; close, unprotected contact
between humans and animals; a general failure to take the threat
seriously enough; and the approach of human flu season.
What is the CDC's excuse for the current situation?  8% of the dairy
workers tested in Colorado and Michigan for H5 antibodies were positive,
so the CDC and USDA should have known for a very long time how most of
the dairy herds were being infected, but they did nothing to stop the
spread.  They needed to identify all the infected herds and prevent
further dairy worker contacts with other farms that had not yet been
infected.
Ron Okimoto

https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/mammals.html

The USDA has added 47 more samples to the California herd total (461).
The USDA seem to only be able to verify around 50 to 60 samples per
week. The highest sample number seems to be 471, but there is an
unbroken string of between 471 and 420 so they may have caught up.

It looks like California will hit the 500 herds, by the end of November,
predicted by the California dairy analyst back in October when the count
was less than 200.

It is very sad that no other state is reporting more infected herds when
there is no doubt that there are likely hundreds of herds in other
states that are infected, but just not tested.

Colorado claims to have completed bulk milk tank testing of all their
dairies and they did not find any infected herds. They must not have
tested the known positive herds, or they should recheck their evaluation
methods. If the dairy farms were able to keep their infected cattle out
of the milk supply (they are required to remove milk from sick cows from
the milk that they ship to processing plants). Their bulk milk tank
sampling could have been negative. I do not know what the sampling
protocols were.

https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS/Animal_Health/HPAI.html

This is yesterdays California numbers (only claiming 436 confirmed) but
they also claim that some of the infected dairy herds are recovering,
and once they test negative they will be removed from quarantine
restrictions, and monitored by routine testing at the processing plants.

My guess is that with the virus mutating into sequences like the
Missouri patient that some herds are going to start being reinfected
across the nation.

Ron Okimoto

[RonO]

Post by RonO

Post by RonO
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-11-26/bird-flu-
warnings- are-going-unheeded-at-many-dairy-farms
The dairy flu was detected in dairy flu last week and it seems to be
buisness as usual on the California dairy farms.
Nearby, workers herded some of the animals onto a rotating platform
within the farm’s milking parlor and quickly attached pumping
equipment. The machines buzzed and whirred as the cows were carried in
a lazy arc to the parlor’s exit, where they were detached from milk
hoses and sent on their way.
The scene seemed utterly unremarkable — except for the fact that five
days earlier, the H5N1 bird flu virus that has ravaged California’s
dairy herds for the last three months, had been confirmed on the farm.
Although dozens of cows were sick, and their owner expected that
number to climb, none of the farm’s workers wore personal protective
equipment and vehicles from off site were let in and out with nary a
hint of concern.
The have a picture of dead cows in the article.
It sounds like the California dairy workers are not heeding the CDC's
advice to use protective gear on infected farms.  It sounds like it
needs to be a requirement not just a recommendation.
These workers are getting infected and then infecting other dairies
that they also work at and poultry farms.  It probably only takes a 5
to 10% infection rate to account for spread of the virus.  It is
stupid to deny reality at this time with millions of birds already
down and all the infected dairies detected by contact tracing.  A lot
more workers are getting infected than they have tested.  Even in
California they seem to have tested less than 50 dairy workers total
(28 confirmed to have been infected and producing detectable virus).
That is so crazy at this time with 400 dairies infected and what is
their excuse?  They have no excuse.  Hundreds of dairy workers should
have been tested by now in just California.  No one wants to confirm
what has been happening for a very long time.  Infected workers shed
live virus and take it to other dairies and poultry farms.  This is
not rocket science, and the CDC and USDA have understood this since
the first poultry farm was infected and the first infected dairy
worker was shedding live culturable virus.  How did they think the
states that did not get dairy cattle got infected dairy herds?  They
obviously got migrant dairy workers.
The articles observed for this news article were not wearing
protective equipment, and will likely just add to the number of
infected humans.
No expert will say that H5N1 bird flu is going to become the next
global pandemic, and government health officers say the virus poses a
low risk to the public. However, some experts warn that nearly all the
conditions needed for the virus to develop a threatening mutation are
now present in many dairy farms: Lax testing protocols; close,
unprotected contact between humans and animals; a general failure to
take the threat seriously enough; and the approach of human flu season.
What is the CDC's excuse for the current situation?  8% of the dairy
workers tested in Colorado and Michigan for H5 antibodies were
positive, so the CDC and USDA should have known for a very long time
how most of the dairy herds were being infected, but they did nothing
to stop the spread.  They needed to identify all the infected herds
and prevent further dairy worker contacts with other farms that had
not yet been infected.
Ron Okimoto

https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/mammals.html
The USDA has added 47 more samples to the California herd total (461).
The USDA seem to only be able to verify around 50 to 60 samples per
week.  The highest sample number seems to be 471, but there is an
unbroken string of between 471 and 420 so they may have caught up.
It looks like California will hit the 500 herds, by the end of November,
predicted by the California dairy analyst back in October when the count
was less than 200.
It is very sad that no other state is reporting more infected herds when
there is no doubt that there are likely hundreds of herds in other
states that are infected, but just not tested.
Colorado claims to have completed bulk milk tank testing of all their
dairies and they did not find any infected herds.  They must not have
tested the known positive herds, or they should recheck their evaluation
methods.  If the dairy farms were able to keep their infected cattle out
of the milk supply (they are required to remove milk from sick cows from
the milk that they ship to processing plants).  Their bulk milk tank
sampling could have been negative.  I do not know what the sampling
protocols were.
https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS/Animal_Health/HPAI.html
This is yesterdays California numbers (only claiming 436 confirmed) but
they also claim that some of the infected dairy herds are recovering,
and once they test negative they will be removed from quarantine
restrictions, and monitored by routine testing at the processing plants.
My guess is that with the virus mutating into sequences like the
Missouri patient that some herds are going to start being reinfected
across the nation.
Ron Okimoto

The USDA added 13 more herds to the California list yesterday (total
474). My take is that California is not the abnormal high infection
state. All the other states with infected herds just never tested the
herds, and never did any contact tracing. The California data also
means that if you track the dairy workers that work at more than one
dairy you will find more infected dairies. They didn't even test the
workers, and it turned out that workers are likely a major source of
spreading the virus from farm to farm (and how the poultry farms have
gotten infected). It looks like 28 of the first 39 dairy workers that
California tested were confirmed positive for the virus. They started
testing workers with symptoms, but seem to have stopped that activity
when they found too many infected. They should be testing all the dairy
workers and also antibody testing to see who was infected. They need to
test against the current H5 protein sequence because the current H5
antibodies no longer bind to the current H5 sequence as effectively as
before, so the antibodies produced by the current infection, might not
be detected using the old H5 antigen.

This also means that states like Texas and Michigan that were infected
early on, can likely start getting reinfected.

Ron Okimoto

Ron Okimoto

[JTEM]

Have you gotten your vaccines yet, and your 17 boosters?

Why not?

Seriously though, they'll kill you if they want to. Nothing
they give you to protect you from them is going to save
you.

Stop worrying about it.