Health
C.D.C. Study Finds Silent Bird Flu Infections in Dairy Veterinarians
Three dairy veterinarians, including one who worked only in states with no known bird flu outbreaks in cows, had recent, undetected bird flu infections, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The results are based on antibody testing of 150 veterinarians working in 46 U.S. states.
The findings were not entirely surprising, experts said, but did suggest that the virus, known as H5N1, could be infecting cows and people in more states than have been officially reported.
“We do not know the extent of this outbreak in the U.S.,” said Seema Lakdawala, a virologist at Emory University. “There are clearly infections happening that we’re missing.”
Since the bird flu outbreak in dairy cows was first reported last March, the virus has been confirmed in more than 950 herds in 16 states. It has also been detected in 68 people, 41 of whom had contact with sick cows. Most people have had mild symptoms.
The new study, which was published in the C.D.C.’s flagship Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, was initially slated for publication several weeks ago but was delayed by the Trump administration’s pause on public communications from health and science agencies.
“It’s important for public health preparedness that we have this data,” said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, the director of the Boston University Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The study was conducted at a veterinary conference last September; participating vets practiced in 46 different states, as well as in Canada. Of the 150 veterinarians enrolled in the study, 25 of them reported having worked with cows who were either known to have or suspected of having bird flu.
Three of the vets tested positive for antibodies to the virus. None of those three vets had reported working with cows believed to have bird flu. (One had worked with infected poultry.) None recalled any flulike symptoms.
One of the vets worked with cows only in Georgia and South Carolina, states that had not reported any affected herds.
“I think we’ve all suspected that there are many more states, potentially, where the virus is that are not being detected,” Dr. Bhadelia said.
Dr. Lakdawala said that she was surprised that none of the 25 veterinarians who knew that they had worked with infected cows had tested positive for antibodies. But it’s possible that those who knew they were working with infected animals “were taking more precautions,” she said.
None of the three vets who tested positive for antibodies reported wearing masks or goggles. Such precautions are not recommended when working with healthy animals in unaffected regions, the study notes.
Precisely how veterinarians are being infected remains unclear, and vets may have less contact with virus-laden milk than the farm workers who spend their days in milking parlors, Dr. Lakdawala said.
“The vets that we’ve talked to on these farms are involved in all aspects of care for these animals,” she said. “They’re all over these cows, looking at everything.”
The findings highlighted the need for far more testing, experts said, including testing of asymptomatic dairy workers and bovine vets, as well as expanded testing of the nation’s milk supply.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a national program to test bulk samples of milk in December. As of Feb. 7, 40 states were enrolled and actively conducting testing. In Nevada, the bulk testing of milk recently revealed that dairy herds had been infected with a new version of the virus, distinct from the one that had been spreading in dairy cows over the past year.
“The states that haven’t onboarded bulk milk testing should do that, just not assume that because they haven’t had infected herds reported that they have a little bit of leeway,” Dr. Bhadelia said.
When the study was conducted last fall, the virus had been detected in dairy herds in 14 states, as well as in 14 people, four of whom had contact with dairy cows.
Apoorva Mandavilli contributed reporting.
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Stat of the week
More than 59% of women may have high blood pressure by 2050, according to a new report from the American Heart Association.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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