Thank you for including the note and suggestions related to the LA fire. Just devastating what is happening there. As to the rest: this post alone, with your knowledgeable and clear responses to such a wide variety of questions, demonstrates not only how invaluable Team YLE is, but also how invaluable epidemiologists and public health experts in general are to the wellbeing of all of us. I wish everyone, everywhere, would read your posts. (I do my little bit by recommending Team YLE to friends and family.)
I so appreciate your work - thank you. But, this morning I do have one criticism. I think that attempting to answer "why aren't we vaccinating farm workers" without at least mentioning racism and structural inequality does a disservice to readers. Racism and structural inequality have many negative impacts on individual and public health.
No doubt, but based on the information provided "racism and structural inequality" don't really seem to be the main issues. Those are primarily medical and are described clearly in Dr. J's answers.
What is known about wild turkeys and bird flu? My neighborhood in Maine has a sizable flock of wild turkeys that roam freely between unfenced yards, interacting with crows, the usual songbirds and a few domestic cats. Is the risk of exposure mostly from the turkey feces?
I understand your answer to the question about bird poop, but we live in an area with year-round flocks of Canada geese. They mass in the park where we take our daily walks year round and and spend recreational time in good weather. In the summers, the folks who run the harbor power wash the scat off the docks and sidewalks. I’ve wondered if they should be wearing masks & eye protection when they do. Any guidance on that scenario? Thank you.
It’s worth lot to know what intelligent, sensible, very well educated people like yourself would and/or actually do in such situations. Please always share the precautions that you take or would take. It inspires confidence to see how you personally deal with risks.
"I’m a primary care pediatrician and most of the Flu A cases I’ve been seeing oddly have mild conjunctival injection."
This is super interesting. Anecdotally, my mom was sick for a few days (sore throat, stuffy nose, fatigue) before heading to her primary care. The morning of her doctor visit she had conjunctivitis like symptoms, and was diagnosed with pink eye (first time in her life, 73 year olds), but I'm wondering if there is any correlation.
There is a lot of adenovirus circulating near me, as well as a large number of coinfections of multiple viruses (flu+ rsv for example). Adenovirus notoriously causes pink eye FWIW
You may have answered my question in posts during Covid so I apologize for asking now. Does a KN95 mask offer enough protection agains viruses like Covid, flu, colds and now bird flu? We are fully vaccinated and wear KN95 masks when around others to this day and 🤞 no covid or flu so far. But caught the wretched cold virus and it was not fun. Thank you
The data is very limited on other viruses, like common cold, but because masks work for Covid and flu, it’s highly likely they work for everything else.
I love your work - thank you so much! Could you comment on kids/playground equipment/bird poop etc... We have a trampoline and almost always have to wipe bird poop off before jumping. Should we be more careful than just using a towel, throwing the towel directly in the wash, and washing our hands? Again, thank you for what you and your team do.
I have a backyard flock and haven’t found a great source for figuring out where wild bird cases have been reported - to determine whether I should keep mine in their enclosure. Do you know of a good source?
I have a babysitter who has a backyard flock of chickens. Should I be concerned about potential contamination from her? Should people with backyard chicken flocks eliminate them?
There’s no human to human transmission yet, so I wouldn’t worry. The thing with backyard flocks is that they are pretty secluded, so no need to get rid of them. But it is important to keep them away from wild birds as best as possible. And, if they are sick, or dying take special precautions
Yep. Our backyard birds live in their own separate chicken run and coop and are never allowed out. The coop and run have been heavily critter-proofed to keep out predators and other wildlife.
So, no, we shouldn't eliminate them, but we must rigidly segregate them from other birds and (for their own safety) predators such as possums and raccoons.
I second that request. Also, advice for when hand washing is impossible? I’ve read that hand gel is ineffective against norovirus. Traveling soon for an unmissable family event that is far away enough that there will be no avoiding airport/airplane bathrooms. It feels crazy to admit this, but I’m wondering if eye protection might be needed (please say that’s overkill…).
Thank you for your important work, as always. I’m unclear and trying to get a sense of risk from a nearby neighbor with a small backyard flock, and our cats which roam the neighbor during the day and almost certainly visit their property. Suburban neighborhood with no water fowl nearby and presumably no direct contact with wild birds—how would a backyard poultry flock on this case likely get infected? And could the poultry be asymptomatic? Would cats get infected through the same (airborne) channels as humans? Again just trying to assess our risk with this array of (likely commonplace) elements.
Our backyard birds live in their own separate chicken run and coop and are never allowed out. The coop and run have been heavily critter-proofed to keep out predators and other wildlife. That's what your neighbor needs to do, both for their own protection and that of their neighbors. To do anything less is, IMO, irresponsible.
One thing i wonder about w the high CA wastewater signature is the how many people are making their own raw cheeses (perhaps raw yogurts?). I have heard from friends in CA who know people who do that at home and have offered them some cheese (refused politely). On that score it may be similar to home canning, homemade tofu, or homemade yogurt making and the risks sometimes found with those. (I have not seen yogurt makers advertised in years but it was pretty common in the ‘70s and ‘80s, so have no idea of how common)
Professional cheese makers have to age their raw cheeses for six months and the FDA announced a few days ago that it has just begun testing aged commercial raw cheeses. Homemade ones are outside of testing and may not be aged.
Milking equipment spreads infected milk cow-to-cow if the equipment isn’t sanitized between cows, i.e., the infected milk contaminates the equipment. But what was ground zero? How did the ground-zero cow(s) get infected? Early reports, out of Texas, said that cows were fed chicken meal (as in ground up chicken parts). Is this true?
Thank you for including the note and suggestions related to the LA fire. Just devastating what is happening there. As to the rest: this post alone, with your knowledgeable and clear responses to such a wide variety of questions, demonstrates not only how invaluable Team YLE is, but also how invaluable epidemiologists and public health experts in general are to the wellbeing of all of us. I wish everyone, everywhere, would read your posts. (I do my little bit by recommending Team YLE to friends and family.)
I so appreciate your work - thank you. But, this morning I do have one criticism. I think that attempting to answer "why aren't we vaccinating farm workers" without at least mentioning racism and structural inequality does a disservice to readers. Racism and structural inequality have many negative impacts on individual and public health.
No doubt, but based on the information provided "racism and structural inequality" don't really seem to be the main issues. Those are primarily medical and are described clearly in Dr. J's answers.
What is the risk of human exposure when cleaning bird baths and bird feeders frequented by wild native non-migrating song birds (in Vermont)?
What is known about wild turkeys and bird flu? My neighborhood in Maine has a sizable flock of wild turkeys that roam freely between unfenced yards, interacting with crows, the usual songbirds and a few domestic cats. Is the risk of exposure mostly from the turkey feces?
Same question, but in an area only a few miles away from agricultural zones in Northern California.
Same question, on eastern Long Island. Lots of wild turkeys.
I understand your answer to the question about bird poop, but we live in an area with year-round flocks of Canada geese. They mass in the park where we take our daily walks year round and and spend recreational time in good weather. In the summers, the folks who run the harbor power wash the scat off the docks and sidewalks. I’ve wondered if they should be wearing masks & eye protection when they do. Any guidance on that scenario? Thank you.
It depends on their risk tolerance. For what it’s worth, I would be wearing a mask and eye protection if I was cleaning bird poop off of docks.
It’s worth lot to know what intelligent, sensible, very well educated people like yourself would and/or actually do in such situations. Please always share the precautions that you take or would take. It inspires confidence to see how you personally deal with risks.
"I’m a primary care pediatrician and most of the Flu A cases I’ve been seeing oddly have mild conjunctival injection."
This is super interesting. Anecdotally, my mom was sick for a few days (sore throat, stuffy nose, fatigue) before heading to her primary care. The morning of her doctor visit she had conjunctivitis like symptoms, and was diagnosed with pink eye (first time in her life, 73 year olds), but I'm wondering if there is any correlation.
There is a lot of adenovirus circulating near me, as well as a large number of coinfections of multiple viruses (flu+ rsv for example). Adenovirus notoriously causes pink eye FWIW
You may have answered my question in posts during Covid so I apologize for asking now. Does a KN95 mask offer enough protection agains viruses like Covid, flu, colds and now bird flu? We are fully vaccinated and wear KN95 masks when around others to this day and 🤞 no covid or flu so far. But caught the wretched cold virus and it was not fun. Thank you
The data is very limited on other viruses, like common cold, but because masks work for Covid and flu, it’s highly likely they work for everything else.
Are KN95 masks as effective as K95 masks?
Yes! KN95 works great. I wear them as I find them more comfortable than K95s
Thanks. Same here.
I love your work - thank you so much! Could you comment on kids/playground equipment/bird poop etc... We have a trampoline and almost always have to wipe bird poop off before jumping. Should we be more careful than just using a towel, throwing the towel directly in the wash, and washing our hands? Again, thank you for what you and your team do.
I have a backyard flock and haven’t found a great source for figuring out where wild bird cases have been reported - to determine whether I should keep mine in their enclosure. Do you know of a good source?
Chec with your local extension agent. They can also test your birds
I have a babysitter who has a backyard flock of chickens. Should I be concerned about potential contamination from her? Should people with backyard chicken flocks eliminate them?
There’s no human to human transmission yet, so I wouldn’t worry. The thing with backyard flocks is that they are pretty secluded, so no need to get rid of them. But it is important to keep them away from wild birds as best as possible. And, if they are sick, or dying take special precautions
Yep. Our backyard birds live in their own separate chicken run and coop and are never allowed out. The coop and run have been heavily critter-proofed to keep out predators and other wildlife.
So, no, we shouldn't eliminate them, but we must rigidly segregate them from other birds and (for their own safety) predators such as possums and raccoons.
Can my dog get infected with H5N1 by drinking water we keep out for our wild birds?
This information on transmission of H5N1 is great. Can you provide similar information on the intestinal noro virus that seems to be gaining ground?
I second that request. Also, advice for when hand washing is impossible? I’ve read that hand gel is ineffective against norovirus. Traveling soon for an unmissable family event that is far away enough that there will be no avoiding airport/airplane bathrooms. It feels crazy to admit this, but I’m wondering if eye protection might be needed (please say that’s overkill…).
Your SoCal comment was a great opportunity to plug for fire effected folks to wear a quality mask for the next few days.
In past in events in NoCal our centers have experienced an upsurge of asthma and other respiratory complaints related particulate exposure.
I know that you, like me, are mask fans 😊
Thank you for your important work, as always. I’m unclear and trying to get a sense of risk from a nearby neighbor with a small backyard flock, and our cats which roam the neighbor during the day and almost certainly visit their property. Suburban neighborhood with no water fowl nearby and presumably no direct contact with wild birds—how would a backyard poultry flock on this case likely get infected? And could the poultry be asymptomatic? Would cats get infected through the same (airborne) channels as humans? Again just trying to assess our risk with this array of (likely commonplace) elements.
Our backyard birds live in their own separate chicken run and coop and are never allowed out. The coop and run have been heavily critter-proofed to keep out predators and other wildlife. That's what your neighbor needs to do, both for their own protection and that of their neighbors. To do anything less is, IMO, irresponsible.
One thing i wonder about w the high CA wastewater signature is the how many people are making their own raw cheeses (perhaps raw yogurts?). I have heard from friends in CA who know people who do that at home and have offered them some cheese (refused politely). On that score it may be similar to home canning, homemade tofu, or homemade yogurt making and the risks sometimes found with those. (I have not seen yogurt makers advertised in years but it was pretty common in the ‘70s and ‘80s, so have no idea of how common)
Professional cheese makers have to age their raw cheeses for six months and the FDA announced a few days ago that it has just begun testing aged commercial raw cheeses. Homemade ones are outside of testing and may not be aged.
Milking equipment spreads infected milk cow-to-cow if the equipment isn’t sanitized between cows, i.e., the infected milk contaminates the equipment. But what was ground zero? How did the ground-zero cow(s) get infected? Early reports, out of Texas, said that cows were fed chicken meal (as in ground up chicken parts). Is this true?