Farm workers are said to be tending to sick cows in the midst of the bird flu outbreak wearing only gloves.

Written by Rae Ellen Bichell/KFF Health News

In early August, farm workers gathered under a gazebo in a park here for a picnic to celebrate Farmworker Appreciation Day. What was different this year was the menu: beef fajitas, tortillas, pico de gallo, chips, and beans, but no chicken.

On a farm in Colorado Millions were eliminated Chickens have been banned in recent months to prevent the spread of bird flu, so organizers have lined up hot dogs at the event.

Whatever the menu, some dairy workers who attended the event said they didn't feel properly valued and had not received any personal protective equipment beyond gloves to prevent virus infection, even though they and their colleagues have suffered from conjunctivitis and flu-like symptoms that they fear may be avian flu.

“They should give us something more,” one Larimer County dairy worker said in Spanish, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job if he spoke out. “What if something happens to us? They act like nothing is wrong.”

Agricultural health and safety experts have been working to educate the public on how to protect themselves from avian influenza, including by: Bilingual Video The TikTok video shows people how to properly wear respirators, eye protection, gloves and coveralls. 1 month free Protective equipment will be provided to producers who request it.

But so far, many farms have not complied, according to figures released by the state health department in late August. State Dairy Farm Such PPE was requested and received.

The virus is known to infect mammals ranging from skunks, bears, and cattle to humans. PetsIt began Appears in dairy cows Colorado has been at the center of an outbreak in recent months. Ten of the 13 confirmed cases in the U.S. this year have occurred in Colorado. Continue to circulate The infection is widespread among dairy cows, and although cooked meat and pasteurized milk pose no risk, there is a risk for people who come into contact with infected animals or raw milk.

Weld County, where the farmworker event was held, is one of the nation's largest Top Milk ProducersThis year's monthly milk supply is equivalent to about 45 Olympic-sized swimming pools. USDA DataThe neighboring counties are also prominent producers.

Growing concerns Undiagnosed illnesses among farmworkers This is due to a lack of testing and safety measures. One reason for concern is that bird flu and seasonal flu are Gene tradingSo bird flu may carry genes that make it more infectious if it gets into the same body at the same time. The virus doesn't seem to spread easily from person to person yet, but that could change, and without testing, health officials might not notice it until later.

Seasonal influenza strains are already Killed about 47,000 people It infects 10,000 people a year in the United States, and public health officials worry that a new strain of flu could wreak havoc if it spreads among people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that dairy workers wear respirators and goggles or face shields. Other safeguardsIt doesn't matter if you're dealing with a sick animal.

Zoila Gomez/KFF Health News

a Recent Research It turns out that not all infected cows show symptoms, so workers may come into contact with contagious animals without realizing it. Even when animals are known to be infected, farm workers often have to come into close contact with them, sometimes under extreme conditions, as happened to poultry workers in Colorado during a recent heatwave. Collected hundreds of chickens Due to the spread of the virus, the animals were culled manually, with at least six workers infected with avian influenza.

One Weld County dairy worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job, said his employer hasn't provided him with any protective equipment other than gloves, despite working with sick cows and raw milk.

The cows were producing less milk, losing weight and showing signs of weakness, so supervisors instructed workers to isolate the sick cows from the others, she said. But her employer didn't say anything about bird flu or encourage her to take any precautions to stay safe, she said.

He said he bought his own protective goggles at Walmart when his eyes became itchy and red earlier this summer. He recalled experiencing dizziness, headaches and loss of appetite around the same time. But he got through it by self-medicating without taking time off work or going to the doctor.

“We have to protect ourselves because we don't know what's going to happen,” he said in Spanish. “When I tell my wife and son that the cows are sick, my wife tells me to leave, but it will be the same wherever I go.”

He said he had heard that his employer was not sympathetic when colleagues complained of feeling unwell, and he had seen someone with ties to management tear up a leaflet explaining how to protect oneself from bird flu and throw it in the trash.

A dairy worker in neighboring Larimer County said his only protective gear, even when working with sick animals, close enough to get saliva on them, was gloves, which he started wearing after a coworker missed work with flu-like symptoms including fever, headache and bloodshot eyes.

“I only wear latex gloves,” he said, “and I see people who handle sick cows only wearing gloves as well.”

Although he doesn't have time to wash his hands at work, he applies hand sanitizer before going home and takes a shower when he gets home. He has not shown any symptoms of infection.

These stories from dairy workers echo reports from farm workers in Texas. KFF Health News In July.

“Employers proactively providing PPE appear to be in the minority in most states.” Bethany Boggess Alkhouter “Farmworkers have very little information,” he told me in partnership with the National Farmworker Health Center, a Texas-based nonprofit that advocates for improved health for farmworkers and their families.

but Zach RileyThe CEO of the Colorado Livestock Association said he believes such a scenario is the exception, not the rule.

“You'd be hard pressed to find a dairy that doesn't provide PPE,” Riley said. Riley said dairy farms typically stockpile PPE for situations like this, and if they don't have a stockpile, it's easy to get it through the state. “You just have to ask.”

Zoila Gomez/KFF Health News

He said producers are very motivated to contain the outbreak because “milk is their lifeblood.” He said he's heard from some producers that “farm families are working 18 to 20 hour days to stay ahead of the outbreak and are on the front lines in every way to protect their employees.”

The Colorado Department of Health Hotline promotion Sick dairy workers can seek help to get flu tests and medicines.

Project to Protect Food System WorkersThe organization, which was founded early in the COVID-19 pandemic to promote the health of farmworkers across Colorado, is using the PPE it received from the state to Part of the community If employers have not provided masks or other protective equipment, the agencies they serve may provide them directly to workers.

Promoter Tommasa Rodriguez said workers “are considering this a different virus, a different coronavirus, because we don't have enough information.”

She distributes leaflets about symptoms and prevention measures, but she says she can't reach many dairy farms, “and in some cases, the leaflets never reach them because many workers are illiterate, and employers don't do any talks or training.”

CDC Nirav Shah In a conference call with reporters on Aug. 13, he said that despite months of campaigning on social media and radio, awareness about avian flu among dairy farmers is not as high as officials would like.

“We still have a long way to go to get the same recognition as, say, the poultry industry,” he said. “We're using every communication channel we can.”

KFF Health News Correspondents Vanessa G. Sanchez and Amy Maxmen contributed to this report.