Vermont health, agriculture officials outline H5N1 risks and steps for dairy and poultry sectors

At a joint meeting of the Vermont House committees on Healthcare and Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry, Dr. Mark Levine of the Vermont Department of Health said H5N1 avian influenza has produced extensive illness in wild birds and animals and has recently affected dairy herds, but remains a low risk for the general public.

The issue matters because H5N1 has killed large numbers of birds, sickened mammals including dairy cattle, and carries a theoretical risk of reassortment with human influenza viruses. That could, officials said, increase the virus's ability to spread among people. State agencies described surveillance, testing and outreach steps aimed at early detection, worker protection and limiting spread between animals and people.

"The CDC continues to list avian influenza as a low risk proposition for humans and the general public," Dr. Mark Levine said, adding that the risk is higher for people who work directly with animals. Levine told lawmakers that nationwide roughly 1,000 herds have been implicated, with more than 700 in California; in the United States fewer than 70 human cases have been documented and worldwide there have been about 900 human infections of various strains over the last 25 years.

State officials described three main prevention and surveillance efforts. First, Vermont has begun monthly bulk-milk testing of every farm; samples are tested…