Human bird flu spreads in Colorado's farms

Jul 24, 2024

Rising human cases of bird flu in Colorado's farms

By Farms.com

The bird flu outbreak in Colorado has escalated with the confirmation of additional human cases by U.S. health authorities.

The outbreak originated at a poultry farm in Weld County, where workers faced exposure during efforts to contain the virus, leading to several human infections.

These latest developments increase the total human cases linked to this outbreak to six, with a seventh case under investigation. These individuals, involved in culling operations of 1.8 million birds, reported mild symptoms and have been treated with antivirals.

The spread has been exacerbated by extreme working conditions, including high temperatures that made protective gear less effective, according to health officials. This has raised concerns about farm safety practices and the potential for wider transmission among farm workers.

The state has intensified its response, increasing testing and monitoring, especially given the concentration of its dairy production in the affected area.

Although the risk to the public remains minimal, the situation underscores the challenges of managing such outbreaks in commercial agricultural settings.

Video: Four Star Pork Industry Conf - Back to Basics: Fundamentals drive vaccine performance

At a time when disease pressure continues to challenge pork production systems across the United States, vaccination remains one of the most valuable and heavily debated tools available to veterinarians and producers.

Speaking at the 2025 Four Star Pork Industry Conference in Muncie, Indiana, Dr. Daniel Gascho, veterinarian at Four Star Veterinary Service, encouraged the industry to return to fundamentals in how vaccines are selected, handled and administered across sow farms, gilt development units and grow-finish operations.

Gascho acknowledged at the outset that vaccination can quickly become a technical and sometimes tedious topic. But he said that real-world execution, not complex immunology, is where most vaccine failures occur.