Free flu vaccine for dairy farmers

By Jason Hartschuh, Assistant Professor, OSU Extension Field Specialist, Dairy Management and Precision Livestock, Ohio State University Extension

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has allocated more than 100,000 doses of seasonal influenza vaccine to 12 states that have had dairy herds test positive for H5N1 bird flu. This is part of a CDC initiative announced this summer to provide several supplemental free seasonal influenza vaccines to farm workers across states affected by H5N1 to prevent the spread of seasonal flu in these communities and safeguard public health.

The 12 states include: California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas. All states with dairy herds that have tested positive for H5N1 bird flu were invited to apply to receive additional doses of seasonal influenza vaccine — allocated specifically for farm workers — beyond what the states were already planning to provide. States will conduct screening to ensure that these doses are going to farm workers and will track the number of doses given monthly by age. … Continue reading