US health officials are putting more than US$100 million toward ramping up surveillance of bird flu in cattle and people amid rising concerns that the outbreak has spread more widely than reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will use the funding to detect and track the virus, called H5N1, that’s been spreading in wild birds, poultry and domestic cows, according to a statement Friday last week.
Scrutiny of the CDC’s response to health crises has risen after widespread criticism for inadequate early testing for emerging health threats such as COVID and the mpox virus. While just one H5N1 infection has been recorded in a person in the US so far, scientists have cautioned that virus has the potential to mutate into something far more transmissible and dangerous.
Photo: Reuters 照片:路透
The CDC will use US$34 million to test for and analyze viral sequences, while another US$29 million will be dedicated to tracing and monitoring people who may have come into contact with the virus. Other funds will be used to study vaccine candidates and wastewater sites. The CDC is also distributing protective equipment to farm workers, prioritizing those with infected herds.
Observation of the virus has been spotty. Some dairy farms have hesitated to invite the CDC for surveillance, facing a potential financial impact if sick cows are found. Migrant workers who staff farms are leery of government officials, fearing job loss if they show signs of exposure to the virus. No states have invited the CDC to test, which has created blind spots in understanding the scope of the outbreak.
The CDC maintains that the risk to humans is low. However, six new farms reported infected cattle last week — up from the earlier count of 36 farms in nine states — prompting concern over the virus’s spread.
Photo: Reuters 照片:路透
The Department of Agriculture is making funding available to dairy farms dealing with cattle outbreaks, including financial incentives to distribute protective equipment. Farms could receive up to US$28,000 each over the next 120 days, including reimbursements for veterinarian costs and testing, if they help increase herd surveillance.
The FDA will dedicate an additional US$8 million to support milk supply surveillance and pasteurization. One in five milk samples contains fragments of the avian flu virus, the agency said in April, but pasteurization kills it.
Tests for live virus in eggs have been negative, the FDA said. The agency said last week that it tested 297 retail dairy samples, and all were negative.
Photo: Reuters 照片:路透
(Bloomberg)
禽流感疫情可能比所報導的傳播更廣,此擔憂越發引起關注,美國衛生部門因此將投入超過1億美元,來加強監測牛隻與人感染禽流感的狀況。
根據上週五的聲明,美國疾病管制與預防中心(CDC)和食品藥物管理局(FDA)將利用這些資金來檢測及追蹤這種名為H5N1的病毒,該病毒已持續在野生鳥類、家禽和家牛中傳播。
Photo: AP 照片:美聯社
美國CDC對健康危機的反應被放大檢視,因其對 COVID病毒與猴痘病毒等新興健康威脅未能及早充分檢測而廣受批評。雖然受H5N1病毒感染的人目前只有美國一例,但科學家警告說,H5N1有可能突變為更具傳染性和危險性的病毒。
美國CDC將用3,400萬美元來測試及分析病毒序列,另以2,900萬美元專門用於追蹤與監測可能接觸過該病毒的人。其餘資金將用於研究候選疫苗和廢水處理場。CDC也發放防護設備給農場工人,需接觸受感染牛群者為優先對象。
對病毒的觀察並不順利。一些乳牛場對於請CDC前來監測有所疑慮,因為若發現有乳牛患病,將可能面臨財務衝擊。在農場工作的移工對政府官員持懷疑態度,擔心若有感染病毒的跡象,他們就會失業。沒有任何州邀請CDC進行檢測,這在了解疫情範圍上造成了盲點。
CDC堅持認為,人類感染該病毒的風險很低。然而,上週新發現6個農場有牛隻受感染——高於之前9個州36個農場的數量——引發了民眾對病毒擴散的擔憂。
美國農業部正提供資金給面對牛群疫情的乳牛場,包括發放防護設備的經濟誘因。如果農場協助加強牛群監控,那麼在接下來的120天內,每個農場最多可得到28,000美元,包括獸醫費及檢測費的報銷。
FDA將額外投入800萬美元來補助牛奶供應監控與巴斯德殺菌法。FDA四月表示,五分之一的牛奶樣本含有禽流感病毒片段,但巴斯德殺菌法可將其消滅。
FDA表示,雞蛋中的活病毒檢測呈陰性。FDA上週表示,已檢測了297個零售乳製品樣本,結果均呈陰性。
(台北時報林俐凱編譯)
Like people in many other countries, Taiwanese are fond of delicious fried snacks. For example, Spain is known for its churros, and in Taiwan there is a traditional fried dessert made of sticky rice called beh teung guai. The snack consists of sticky rice flour that is mixed with water, kneaded into a dough and shaped into small pieces. Once fried, the sticky rice balls are coated in crushed peanuts and sugar mixture. 世界上有許多國家愛吃炸甜點,台灣也不例外。舉例來說,西班牙有吉拿棒,台灣人則有油炸糯米的點心──白糖粿。作法先將糯米粉和水混合揉成糰,再捏成小塊,炸好後裹上花生糖粉。 knead (v.) 揉(麵糰、黏土),捏;捏製;揉捏形成 Beh teung guai is a traditional snack that has been enjoyed by many senior citizens since
WHEN ARE THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES? The Paris 2024 Olympics will run from Friday to Aug. 11, while the Paris 2024 Paralympics will be held from Aug. 28-Sept. 8. WHERE WILL THE GAMES TAKE PLACE? In September 2017, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded Paris the 2024 Games when its only remaining rival, Los Angeles, agreed to wait another four years to be the host city. Paris has hosted two Olympics and will stage the event 100 years after its last Games in 1924. The Games will be staged in 35 venues across Paris, Ile-de-France, on both mainland France and overseas. Some notable venues
A: The 2024 Paris Olympics is set to open tomorrow (Saturday Taiwan time), and will run until Aug. 11. B: How many Taiwanese athletes will compete in the Olympics? A: About 60 Taiwanese athletes will participate in 16 sports. B: I’ve heard some Olympic gold medalists, such as weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun, and badminton duo Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, will compete in the Olympics again. A: Asian tennis star Hsieh Su-wei, who is the World No. 1 in women’s doubles, is also on the Taiwan team. Let’s give our support to the Taiwanese players. A: 巴黎奧運自7月26日(台灣時間27日),至8月11日要登場啦。 B: 台灣有多少選手參賽? A: 台灣有60名選手參賽,將參加16項運動種類。 B: 這次奧運金牌舉重名將郭婞淳、羽球男雙李洋/王齊麟都會參賽。 A:
You might have seen athletes gracefully bending and leaping in rhythm with melodies. This is “rhythmic gymnastics,” a sport often mistaken for artistic gymnastics. However, the two are distinct in focus and presentation. Artistic gymnastics focuses on strength, flexibility, and balance, with athletes performing solo on various equipment. They are scored based on the difficulty of their movements, their execution of certain skills on each apparatus, and their ability to combine multiple skills into different movements. Rhythmic gymnastics, on the other hand, emphasizes style and presentation, with athletes often performing in teams. Moving in harmony with music, they use