CDC to Provide Farmworkers With Seasonal Flu Shots to Prevent Co-infection With Bird Flu

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is funding a $5 million program to provide seasonal flu vaccines to livestock workers. The initiative aims to reduce the risk of potential co-infection of both seasonal influenza and the bird flu virus, also known as H5N1, in farm workers.

Infection with both viruses could lead to a genetic reassortment, where genetic material from the two influenza viruses mixes and creates a new influenza virus, according to the CDC.

“In theory, reassortment could lead to a new influenza A virus that could pose a significant public health concern by becoming more efficient at spread and potentially more severe. A virus that has the transmissibility of seasonal influenza and the severity of H5N1,” the CDC’s principal deputy director, Nirav Shah, said during a July 30 press call.

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