As bird flu threat grows, here's how Biden is responding to ensure milk is safe | Opinion
Avian flu variants have proven to be particularly unpredictable and dangerous to humans in the past. That is why the Biden administration's response has been a top priority.
When President Joe Biden took office, our nation was reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. During his first year in office, our administration successfully brought the pandemic under control and got America back on its feet. Today, that experience is helping us better prepare to address future health emergencies.
In March, scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of avian influenza − commonly known as bird flu − in dairy cattle. Although we have seen this virus in birds for decades and the risk to the general public remains low, the spread to cows and other mammals warrants serious attention.
As heads of the federal departments responsible for human health and animal health, we quickly stood up a coordinated response organized around four key priorities: monitoring and stopping transmission, protecting workers and the public, keeping animals healthy and ensuring the safety of our food supply.
∎ Monitoring the virus and stopping transmission: Within a few weeks of the outbreak, USDA took action to stop the spread of the virus, issuing a federal order that mandated bird flu testing of all dairy cattle moving between states.
USDA, along with the Food and Drug Administration, also stood up a voluntary program for states and farmers to test their herds and created incentives for them to do so.
States required to test milk for bird flu virus
In October, we took another critical step by launching a nationwide milk testing initiative, requiring states to comprehensively monitor and respond to the presence of the virus in America’s dairies. Today, states representing nearly half of America’s dairy production are implementing this order. The remaining states are working to stand up the necessary infrastructure.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has been closely tracking the virus by assessing hospital data and wastewater – both resources that were developed in the past four years in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has given us early warning signs on where the virus might next appear in herds or flocks.
∎ Protecting workers and the public: Learning from bottlenecks and shortages in the early COVID-19 response, the administration has spent the past several years refilling our Strategic National Stockpile to ensure that we have the personal protective equipment, antivirals, tests and vaccines that the country needs to prepare for future health emergencies.
As a result, HHS was immediately able to offer support to states. To date, we have delivered nearly 4 million pieces of PPE and thousands of antivirals to protect workers.
At the same time, USDA set up a program that reimburses farmers to purchase PPE for their workers, and both USDA and the CDC have deployed more than 100 federal workers into the field to support the response. And, we have invested $5 million in a campaign to educate and test farmworkers.
As we protect workers, we are also preparing for possible future scenarios. The CDC and NIH are tracking changes in the virus so we can see whether it’s becoming more adaptable to humans. We have already prepared nearly 5 million doses of vaccine so they’re ready if we need them. Further, by the end of the first quarter of 2025, HHS will have stockpiled 10 million doses of vaccine to inoculate humans against bird flu.
And we’ve invested $176 million to develop next-generation mRNA vaccines that can rapidly respond to any adaptations in the virus, with phase 3 trials beginning shortly. In addition to vaccines, we have 68 million courses of influenza antivirals on hand in the Strategic National Stockpile to treat those who may become infected with the virus. So far, we have made 3,000 courses available to affected communities, and we're ready to support additional qualified requests.
∎ Preserving animal health: Research suggests the virus travels via surfaces related to normal business operations such as vehicles, milking equipment and people’s clothing. That’s why strong biosecurity is critically important in stopping the spread of the virus and keeping cows healthy.
USDA has launched four new programs to equip farmers with specific biosecurity measures, and nearly 500 farms have used these programs to date. Additionally, USDA accelerated efforts to develop a first-of-its-kind bovine vaccine for the virus, and candidates have already entered field safety trials.
Nation's milk supply remains safe
∎ Ensuring the safety of our food supply: One of the most immediate questions for both of our agencies to answer was: Is our milk safe? We have 100 years of data showing pasteurization works, but it was essential for us to confirm that was still the case with this new pathogen.
USDA and FDA began testing retail dairy samples from across the country to ensure the safety of the commercial pasteurized milk supply and conducted laboratory experiments to reaffirm that pasteurization inactivates the virus.
USDA also sampled muscle tissue from culled cattle at beef processing facilities as part of our robust ongoing surveillance programs.
We are confident that beef, pasteurized milk and dairy products made with pasteurized milk products on grocery shelves are safe.
By continuing these actions, we can keep humans, animals and our food system safe.
We will work through the upcoming presidential transition to foster a smooth handover to the incoming administration. Having learned from COVID-19, our teams are stronger, better equipped and more prepared than perhaps ever before in history.
Avian flu variants have proved to be particularly unpredictable and dangerous to humans in the past. That is why this response has been a top priority for us personally and for our departments. It is why we’ve invested billions of dollars to expand our ability to track and analyze infectious diseases, why we’re developing new vaccines for humans and animals, why we launched new programs to protect farmers and farmworkers, and why we’re requiring milk testing to better respond to the virus.
And it is why we will do everything in our power to ensure that the incoming administration is well-briefed on this work – and why it is best for the country that they continue doing it.
Xavier Becerra is secretary of Health and Human Services and Tom Vilsack is secretary of Agriculture.