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Newly announced incentives for farms to stop the spread of avian influenza in dairy cows were met with mixed reviews Friday, with some farmers saying they were grateful for the money to help ease the economic impact. However, advocates for farmworkers questioned whether the money paid to workers would really help. Enough to encourage more testing for the H5N1 virus.
As part of a plan announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The government will pay up to $28,000 per farm over the next four months to support concrete measures to prevent the spread of avian influenza in dairy cows. Approximately $98 million will be collected by the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to fund the program.
The USDA first confirmed avian influenza in cattle in late March. Since then, more than 40 herds in nine states have tested positive.
Health officials say the risk to humans is currently low because the virus does not spread efficiently from person to person. But scientists say it is dangerous for the infection to spread to livestock such as cattle. This is because viruses can be placed near humans and evolve to be fully adapted to human pathogens. If that happens, researchers say it could spark a new pandemic.
“I think it's fair to say that USDA's No. 1 priority given our mission is to contain this as an animal health event,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Friday. “Ultimately, we hope to eliminate the virus from the industry and, over time, develop a vaccine to prevent recurrence of H5N1 infections in cattle.”
The USDA acknowledged that some dairy producers are wary of government access to their farms to inspect livestock. Symptomatic farmworkers are also reported to be reluctant to get tested for H5N1 influenza, as most do not receive compensation if they require sick leave.
As part of the plan announced Friday, the USDA will provide financial assistance of up to $2,000 per month per affected farm to producers who provide personal protective equipment to workers or help launder uniforms. We plan to provide it. Financial support will also be available through the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to farmers who allow their workers to participate in research.
Workers who participate in CDC surveys will also be compensated for their time.
Dr. Nirav Shah, CDC principal deputy director, said workers will receive $75 for participating in an interview and providing a nasal swab and blood sample, but they are not required to do all three. Ta.
Farm worker advocates said they were skeptical that the $75 payment would be enough to encourage further testing.
“Very significant resources are being allocated to cow owners. However, far fewer advisories are being made to close contacts and high-risk workers in milking parlors.” said Elizabeth Strater, Strategic Campaigns Director at Farm Workers.
“$75 doesn't seem like a good gamble for someone who wants to take more time off work. And you can't support a family on $75,” she said.
Strater estimates there are between 150,000 and 200,000 dairy workers in the United States.
“That's not a huge number of people. But given how important it is to protect public health, you would think we would put all our resources into a protective ring around these people.” she said.
Strether said farmworkers are very reluctant to get tested, even if they have symptoms, because a positive test could mean taking time off work. To tell.
“The testing situation is very difficult,” said Bethany Alcoter, director of the research and public health program at the National Farmworker Health Center.
Currently, she says, the way humans are tested for H5N1 infection is a “very passive system.”
Alkoter said public health officials recommend that if someone develops flu symptoms, they should see a doctor, take an occupational health history, and if the worker tests positive for the flu, the doctor will It is assumed that human swabs will be sent to people in the state. He will need to be tested for H5N1 at the Health Laboratory. “But that's not a very realistic scenario,” she said, noting that only a few dozen people have been tested for the H5N1 virus after coming into contact with cattle.
In addition to payments to help farms protect workers, payments of up to $1,500 per farm will be available to help develop a biosecurity plan. The USDA will provide dairy farms $100 to purchase equipment called in-line samplers to test milk as it travels between cows and storage tanks.
Farms that heat-treat waste milk before discarding it will receive an additional $2,000.
USDA will also cover up to $10,000 in veterinary costs for farms whose cattle test positive for H5N1, as well as cover the cost of transporting samples to laboratories in the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.
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The government says it will also compensate farmers for the loss of milk production if their cows fall ill.
The National Milk Producers Federation said it was pleased to announce additional financial support for dairy farmers.
“We look forward to continued cooperation and consultation with the Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies as we monitor, understand, and contain this outbreak. We also look forward to continued collaboration and consultation with the Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies as we monitor, understand, and contain this outbreak. “We will continue to do everything we can to help dairy farmers understand and benefit from these initiatives,” the group said in a statement.
In addition, HHS plans to transfer an additional $101 million to the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fund H5N1 response efforts.
“The CDC will use 9,300 We have identified universal use kits,” said Department of Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.
An additional $8 million will be given to the FDA to support its ability to conduct oversight at various points in the milk production system, Becerra said.