US health officials warn dairy workers are at risk from bird flu

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U.S. health officials on Friday warned that dairy workers remain at risk from the H5N1 bird flu virus that is infecting dairy herds, and urged them to wear protective gear to avoid infection. The U.S. CDC urged farmers, workers, and emergency responders to wear appropriate protective gear when in direct or close physical contact with sick birds, livestock, feces, raw milk or contaminated surfaces. The warning coincides with a letter published online in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine detailing the case of a dairy worker who was infected with the virus in March and developed an eye infection known as conjunctivitis.