Health
Dairy Workers May Have Passed Bird Flu to Pet Cats, CDC Study Suggests
Two dairy workers in Michigan may have transmitted bird flu to their pet cats last May, suggests a new study published on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In one household, infected cats may also have passed the virus to other people in the home, but limited evidence makes it difficult to ascertain the possibility.
The results are from a study that was scheduled to be published in January but was delayed by the Trump administration’s pause on communications from the C.D.C.
A single data table from the new report briefly appeared online two weeks ago in a paper on the wildfires in California, then quickly disappeared. That odd incident prompted calls from public health experts for the study’s release.
The new paper still leaves major questions unanswered, including how the cats first became infected and whether farmworkers spread the virus to the cats and to other people in the household, experts said.
“I don’t think we can say for sure if this is human-to-cat or cat-to-human or cat-from-something-else,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health.
Officials in Michigan began investigating two households last May when exclusively indoor cats showed respiratory and neurological symptoms and, after death, tested positive for the virus, called H5N1. The officials interviewed the cats’ owners and household members and offered to test them for the virus.
The owners of both cats were dairy workers. The first farmworker did not work with cows directly, and the farm was not known to have infected herds. But the worker reported that many of the barn cats on the farm’s premises recently died. The worker also reported having experienced vomiting and diarrhea before the first household cat became ill.
The second farmworker reported being splashed in the face and eyes with milk and experiencing eye irritation. Both workers declined to be tested.
“This study provides yet more concerning evidence that farmworkers with high-risk exposures may refuse testing,” Dr. Nuzzo said.
“In order to protect people and stay ahead of this virus, we need to remove disincentives for patients to get tested,” she added. “People should not fear that testing positive will cause financial distress or other personal harms.”
In the household of the first farmworker, the first cat to become ill showed decreased appetite, lack of grooming, abnormal gait and lethargy, and quickly deteriorated. She was euthanized on the fourth day of illness.
A second cat in the household developed watery eye discharge, rapid breathing and decreased appetite four days after the first cat became ill. This cat recovered and was not tested for the virus. A third cat had no symptoms and tested negative for the virus 11 days after the first cat became ill.
Neither the cats nor the humans in the household drank unpasteurized milk. How the cats might have become infected is unclear, but experts said that the farmworkers were likely to have become infected with H5N1 at their workplace and to have brought the virus home to their cats.
“If you love your cat, you probably give it head kisses if it lets you,” said Kristen K. Coleman, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Maryland.
Three people in the household — an adult and two adolescents — tested negative for H5N1. Six days after the first cat became sick, one of the adolescents became ill with a cough, sore throat and body aches, and the other reported a cough that was attributed to allergies.
But because the adolescents were tested late — 11 days after the first cat became sick — it was not impossible that they became infected with H5N1 that they picked up from the cats, Dr. Coleman said.
Later in May, a pet cat in the second household developed severe neurological symptoms, including anorexia and minimal movement, and died within a day; the cat tested positive for bird flu after its death.
The cat’s owner transported unpasteurized milk, including from farms with known bird flu outbreaks. According to the study, the owner “did not wear personal protective equipment (PPE) while handling raw milk; reported frequent milk splash exposures to the face, eyes and clothing; and did not remove work clothing before entering the home when returning from work.”
The cat that became ill was known to “roll in the owner’s work clothes,” the study noted.
Virus in raw milk splattered on those clothes may be the source of infection in the cat, said Dr. Keith Poulsen, the director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
“At this point, I think the higher risk is their exposure from raw dairy products,” he said. “There’s so much virus in the milk.”
Of 24 veterinary staff members who were potentially exposed to the infected cats, seven reported symptoms such as nasal congestion and headache. Only five agreed to testing; all were negative.
Dr. Coleman recommended that veterinarians remain alert to the possibility of bird flu infections when they see sick cats. “Pet owners should not have to rely on postmortem sampling to get a diagnosis,” she said.
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The first oral GLP-1 medication for weight loss has been approved for use in the U.S.
The Wegovy pill, from drugmaker Novo Nordisk, was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to reduce excess body weight, maintain long-term weight reduction and lower the risk of major cardiovascular events.
Approval of the once-daily 25mg semaglutide pill was based on the results of two clinical trials — the OASIS trial program and the SELECT trial.
WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS NOW LINKED TO CANCER PROTECTION IN WOMEN, MAJOR NEW STUDY REVEALS
The Wegovy pill demonstrated a mean weight loss of 16.6% in the OASIS 4 trial among adults who were obese or overweight and had one or more comorbidities (other medical conditions), according to a press release. In the same trial, one in three participants experienced 20% or greater weight loss.
The first oral GLP-1 medication for weight loss has been approved for use in the U.S. (iStock)
Novo Nordisk reported that the weight loss achieved with the pill is similar to that of injectable Wegovy and has a similar safety profile.
WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS COULD ADD YEARS TO AMERICANS’ LIVES, RESEARCHERS PROJECT
“With today’s approval of the Wegovy pill, patients will have a convenient, once-daily pill that can help them lose as much weight as the original Wegovy injection,” said Mike Doustdar, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk, in the press release.
Novo Nordisk reported that the weight loss achieved with the pill is similar to that of injectable Wegovy and has a similar safety profile. (James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images)
“As the first oral GLP-1 treatment for people living with overweight or obesity, the Wegovy pill provides patients with a new, convenient treatment option that can help patients start or continue their weight-loss journey.”
POPULAR WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS COULD TAKE THE EDGE OFF YOUR ALCOHOL BUZZ, STUDY FINDS
The oral GLP-1 is expected to launch in the U.S. in early January 2026. Novo Nordisk has also submitted oral semaglutide for obesity to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other regulatory authorities.
“Most side effects will be GI-related and should be similar to the injectable, such as nausea, vomiting and constipation,” an expert said. (iStock)
Dr. Sue Decotiis, a medical weight-loss doctor in New York City, confirmed in an interview with Fox News Digital that studies show oral Wegovy is comparable to the weekly injectable, just without the needles.
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Although the pill may result in better compliance and ease of use, Decotiis warned that some patients may not absorb the medication through the gastrointestinal tract as well as with the injectable version due to individual idiosyncrasies in the body.
“Most side effects will be GI-related and should be similar to the injectable, such as nausea, vomiting and constipation,” she said.
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“In my practice, I have found tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) to yield more weight loss and fat loss than semaglutide by about 20%,” the doctor added. “This has been shown in studies, often [with] fewer side effects.”
More oral GLP-1s may be coming in 2026, according to Decotiis, including an Orforglipron application by Lilly and a new combination Novo Nordisk drug, which is pending approval later next year.
One expert warned that some patients may not absorb the medication through the gastrointestinal tract as well as with the injectable version. (iStock)
“There will be more new drugs available in the future that will be more effective for patients who are more insulin-resistant and have not responded as well to semaglutide and/or tirzepatide,” the doctor said. “This is great news, as novel drugs affecting more receptors mean better long-term results in more patients.”
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As these medications become cheaper and easier to access, Decotiis emphasized that keeping up with healthy lifestyle habits — including proper nutrition with sufficient protein and fiber, as well as increased hydration — is essential to ensuring lasting results.
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“If not, patients will regain weight and could lose muscle and not enough body fat,” she said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Novo Nordisk for comment.
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A study from Sweden’s Uppsala University discovered a link between microplastics and multiple sclerosis (MS).
The research, published in the journal Environmental International, discovered that exposure to two common environmental contaminants, PFAS and PCBs, could increase the risk of the autoimmune disease.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals,” are used in some common household products, such as non-stick cookware, textiles and cleaning products. They have also been found in drinking water throughout the U.S., according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
COMMON CLEANING CHEMICAL TIED TO SPIKE IN LIVER DISEASE ACROSS US, RESEARCHERS SAY
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are toxic industrial chemicals once widely used in electrical equipment before being banned decades ago, as stated by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The new study findings were based on blood samples of 1,800 Swedish individuals, including about 900 who had recently been diagnosed with MS, according to a university press release.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals,” are used in some common household products, including non-stick cookware. (iStock)
The first phase of the trial studied 14 different PFAS contaminants and three substances that appear when PCBs are broken down in the body. These were then investigated for a link to the odds of diagnosis.
‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’ FOUND IN US DRINKING WATER, MAP SHOWS ‘HOT SPOTS’ OF HIGHEST LEVELS
“We saw that several individual substances, such as PFOS and two hydroxylated PCBs, were linked to increased odds for MS,” lead study author Kim Kultima said in a statement. “People with the highest concentrations of PFOS and PCBs had approximately twice the odds of being diagnosed with MS, compared to those with the lowest concentrations.”
The researchers then examined the combined effects of these substances and found that the mixture was also linked to increased risk.
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Fellow researcher Aina Vaivade noted that risk assessments should consider chemical mixtures, not just individual exposures, because people are typically exposed to multiple substances at the same time.
“We saw that several individual substances, such as PFOS and two hydroxylated PCBs, were linked to increased odds for MS,” the lead study author said. (iStock)
The final phase of the study investigated the relationship between inheritance, chemical exposure and the odds of MS diagnosis, revealing that those who carry a certain gene variant actually have a reduced MS risk.
However, individuals who carried the gene and had higher exposure to PFOS — a singular type of chemical in the PFAS family — had an “unexpected” increased risk of MS.
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“This indicates that there is a complex interaction between inheritance and environmental exposure linked to the odds of MS,” Kultima said.
“We therefore think it is important to understand how environmental contaminants interact with hereditary factors, as this can provide new knowledge about the genesis of MS and could also be relevant for other diseases.”
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that leads to the breakdown of the protective covering of the nerves, according to Mayo Clinic. (iStock)
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel commented on these findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“MS is a complex disease that is somewhat autoimmune and somewhat post-inflammatory,” said Siegel, who was not involved in the study. “Epstein-Barr virus infection greatly increases the risk of MS.”
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“There is every reason to believe that environmental triggers play a role, including microplastics, and this important study shows a correlation, but not causation — in other words, it doesn’t prove that the microplastics caused MS.”
The study had some limitations, the researchers acknowledged, including that the chemical exposure was measured only once, at the time of blood sampling. This means it may not accurately represent participants’ long-term or past exposure levels relevant to MS development.
“There is every reason to believe that environmental triggers play a role.”
Fox News Digital reached out to several industry groups and manufacturers requesting comment on the potential link between PFAS chemicals and multiple sclerosis.
Several have issued public statements, including the American Chemistry Council, which states on its website that “manufacturers and many users of today’s PFAS are implementing a variety of practices and technologies to help minimize environmental emissions.”
In April 2024, the EPA enacted a new federal rule that sets mandatory limits on certain PFAS chemicals in drinking water, aiming to reduce exposure. The agency also aims to fund testing and treatment efforts.
A woman working out outdoors takes a sip of water from a plastic bottle. (iStock)
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that leads to the breakdown of the protective coverings that surround nerve fibers, according to Mayo Clinic.
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The immune system’s attack on these nerve sheaths can cause numbness, weakness, trouble walking and moving, vision changes and other symptoms, and can lead to permanent damage.
There is currently no cure for MS, Mayo Clinic reports, but treatment is available to manage symptoms and modify the course of the disease.
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