"Soaring Bird Flu Ravages US Farms, Experts Call for Urgent Action"

Bird flu continues to surge across US farms with no new human cases in the last day but growing calls for action. The European Food Safety Authority reports on December 16 that the risk of H5N1 from US dairy herds spreading to Europe remains very low yet urges strict biosecurity like pasteurization of milk and trade restrictions to avert significant impacts. In the US, Senator Jack Reed demands Senate hearings and a national strategy after the virus hit dairy herds in 18 states including California, Texas, and Wisconsin, criticizing the Trump Administration for canceling a Moderna vaccine contract and underusing funds amid egg price spikes.

Indiana's Board of Animal Health confirmed on December 18 a new outbreak in a LaGrange County commercial egg layer flock of 2,800 birds, marking over 1,700 US premises affected since 2022 with quarantines and surveillance ramped up. CIDRAP notes Wisconsin detected avian flu on December 16 while Farm Progress America highlighted a surge across seven states on December 17, worsened by winter weather creating ideal spread conditions.

Globally, scientists at Ashoka University simulated in BMC Public Health how H5N1 could jump to sustained human transmission without early quarantine, echoing ECDC warnings of unprecedented wild bird detections in Europe. CDC affirms low public risk from sporadic worker infections but monitors closely, separate from seasonal flu's three pediatric deaths this season.

No major developments in the past 24 hours but experts stress vaccination and surveillance to prevent escalation.

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