“U.S. bird flu hospitalizations rise to 4 after Ohio discloses case”

By Alexander Tin

“Ohio’s health department confirmed Saturday that a farmer in the state was discharged from the hospital after being sickened by bird flu, marking the fourth American to have been hospitalized with the H5N1 virus.
“The individual had respiratory symptoms. He was previously hospitalized and has since been released,” a spokesperson for Ohio’s health department told CBS News in an email Saturday.”
“News of the hospitalization comes a day after Wyoming announced the third U.S. hospitalization from bird flu, linked to exposure to an infected backyard flock.”
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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-bird-flu-hospitalizations-rise-ohio-discloses-case/

‘Trump’s drive to reshape government threatens bird flu response’
By Shannon Pettypiece
‘As avian flu drives egg prices to record levels and increasingly poses a risk to humans, moves by the White House to cut spending and restrict communications have hobbled public health officials’ response, with the new administration yet to outline a clear strategy on how it plans to stem the spread of the virus.’
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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trumps-drive-reshape-government-threaten-bird-flu-response-rcna192133

“Trump administration firings hit key office handling bird flu response”
By Marcia Brown

“Laboratories in a national network of 58 facilities responding to the spread of bird flu were notified Friday that 25 percent of the staff in a central program office coordinating their work were fired in the Trump administration’s mass layoffs of federal employees.
USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network program office has a staff of only 14 people, but it plays a major role in responding to animal disease outbreaks. It’s responsible for data management, ensuring that labs across the country are conducting the same tests and following similar protocols to accurately and effectively track animal diseases.
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