As the H5N1 bird flu outbreak in dairy cows enters its fourth month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking steps to ramp up the nation’s capacity to test for the virus in people.
In a call with reporters Tuesday, Nirav Shah, the CDC’s principal deputy director, emphasized that the risk to the general public remains low at this time. But given that the virus is showing no signs of slowing its push deeper into the U.S. cattle population — threatening to create lasting risks to dairy workers and giving it more chances to evolve in ways that make it better at spreading to and among humans — the agency is looking to increase the number and types of tests that can effectively detect H5N1 infections in people.