The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Friday announced $306 million in funding to programs for preparedness, monitoring and research amid the H5N1 bird flu outbreak that began last April.
“While the risk to humans remains low, we are always preparing for any possible scenario that could arise,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, J.D., said in a news release. “Preparedness is the key to keeping Americans healthy and our country safe.”
The funding includes $103 million to boost testing and monitoring of people exposed to infected animals, as well as outreach to livestock workers and others in high-risk populations. HHS’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response will provide $183 million to various regional, state and local preparedness programs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not yet reported any person-to-person transmission of H5N1 and categorizes the current public health risk as low. As of Friday, 66 human cases have been reported in the U.S. The disease has affected dairy cattle and wild birds across multiple states, with smaller outbreaks among poultry flocks.
Among those 66 is a severe case in Louisiana contracted in December. The CDC last week said that a mutation of the virus was detected in that patient, who was exposed to sick and dead birds in a backyard flock.
“The detection of a severe human case with genetic changes in a clinical specimen underscores the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance in people and animals, containment of avian influenza A(H5) outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry, and prevention measures among people with exposure to infected animals or environments,” according to a CDC news release.
Another patient is recovering in Canada after being hospitalized for weeks. A letter sent Dec. 31 to the New England Journal of Medicine confirmed that a 13-year-old girl in British Columbia suffered respiratory failure days after visiting an emergency department with fever and conjunctivitis. The patient, who had a history of mild asthma, was intubated from Nov. 9-28 and received renal replacement therapy, antiviral treatment and plasma exchange, among other treatments.
People who work with animals, tend backyard flocks or hunt are at higher risk of exposure to H5N1, according to the CDC. Viruses may be shed in birds’ saliva, mucus and feces, and in other animals’ respiratory secretions or bodily fluids, including raw milk.
The CDC recommends avoiding contact with sick or dead animals, properly cooking poultry, eggs and beef, and not consuming raw or unpasteurized milk products.