Bird flu outbreak at Utah mink farm sparks concerns about government response
Summary
Bird flu has spread for two months at a Utah mink farm that raises thousands of animals, according to reporting by ProPublica. Infectious disease experts raised concerns about limited information, delayed culling and a lack of worker monitoring, while one expert said there were no signs of wider spread described in the article.Key Facts
- The farm is about an hour from Salt Lake City.
- Utah state veterinarian Amanda Price sought help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which reportedly said it did not regulate mink and had no vaccine approved for them.
- ProPublica reported that CDC officials spoke with Utah health department staff but did not communicate with Price.
- Veterinarians told ProPublica the farm should have culled its mink; a fur trade representative warned that culling could harm the business and industry.
- The article says officials reportedly did not monitor farm workers for symptoms, despite CDC guidance to do so.
- ProPublica found two people who worked at the farm; one had a red eye, a symptom for which the CDC urges testing.
- Nearly 10,000 mink in Utah died from coronavirus during the Covid-19 pandemic, and nine farms were quarantined.
- Jennifer Nuzzo said the risk was greatest for people exposed to sick animals and that she saw no signals of the virus spreading.
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