Human Bird Flu Cases in California

By Leah Douglas
(Reuters) – Human bird flu cases in California may be undercounted as farm workers avoid testing due to economic concerns, according to a labor union and state experts.

Since early October, bird flu has infected 15 dairy farm workers in California, where the virus has spread to over 130 dairy herds since August.

California farm workers with symptoms consistent with bird flu have avoided testing because they fear they would need to isolate at home without pay, said Elizabeth Strater, national vice president of the United Farm Workers labor union.

> “There is a very significant undercount of cases because we don’t have a way to monitor who is sick because workers are unwilling to test,” Strater said.

The symptoms associated with human cases of the virus, like fever and conjunctivitis, are not severe enough to risk income loss, Strater added.

People who test positive for bird flu must isolate until public health officials determine they do not pose a spread risk, according to guidance from the California Department of Public Health.

Erica Pan, California's state epidemiologist, acknowledged the possibility of an undercount among workers.
> “People that have milder symptoms may not be coming forward for testing,” Pan stated.

The state is collaborating with a multilingual team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in California's Central Valley, where most of the cases have been, to investigate human infections of the virus, Pan added.

Farm workers who contract avian flu on the job are eligible for worker's compensation, said a spokesperson for the California Department of Industrial Relations.

The CDC is investing $5 million in a seasonal flu vaccine campaign targeting farm workers, hoping to reduce the risk of simultaneous infections of bird flu and seasonal flu, which could lead to mutations allowing easier spread.