Report: Immigration crackdown hinders bird flu prevention in U.S.
North America
19:21, 20-Apr-2025
CGTN
Fear of deportation prevents foreign farmworkers in the United States from seeking medical care, undermining critical efforts to prevent a potential bird flu pandemic, according to a recent report by KFF, a health policy organization.
Dairy and poultry workers have accounted for most cases of bird flu in the country, and preventing and detecting cases among them is key to averting a pandemic. However, public health specialists said they were struggling to reach farmworkers because many are terrified to talk with strangers or to leave home, the report revealed.
"People are very scared to go out, even to get groceries," said Rosa Yanez, an outreach worker at Strangers No Longer, a Catholic organization that supports immigrants and refugees in the state of Michigan with legal and health problems, including the bird flu.
About 65 dairy and poultry workers across the United States have tested positive for the bird flu since March 2024, but infectious disease scientists warned that the true number of infections is likely higher, as patchy surveillance has likely allowed cases to go undetected on farms.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-04-20/Report-Immigration-crackdown-hinders-bird-flu-prevention-in-U-S--1CJ7p9vD2HS/p.html
