According to interviews with more than a dozen scientists and federal officials, the campaign to curb bird flu on country farms was slowed by a chaotic transition to a new administration that decided to cut costs, cut federal labor and limit communication.
More than 168 million birds have been killed on poultry farms to reduce the outbreak. The virus first appeared in American dairy cows about a year ago, and has spread to 17 states and infected more than 1,000 people.
In the first few months, the Trump administration fired a team of scientists, who were essential to detect the spread of the virus, cancelling important meetings, and even federal scientists to limit access to data.
The Department of Health and Human Services has not conducted a public news briefing on bird flu since January and has not responded to requests for comment.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposed to allow the virus to be uncontrolled through poultry flocks and identify immunized birds. His comments urged Democrats to open an investigation into the federal response.
The Trump administration has also eliminated funding for the Food and Agriculture Organization program, a UN agency that monitors and contain avian flu in 49 countries.
“We've seen a lot of fun and fun,” said Lindsay Mar, an expert on airborne viruses at Virginia Tech.
“We get strong warning signs from animals and people. We're just looking at them and not much about them,” she added.
Avian influenza has infected dozens of mammal species, including 150 cats and at least 70 breeding in 26 states, leading to four hospitalizations and one death. After this winter lull, the spring travel season has renewed its pace of infection.
For the past 30 days, the Ministry of Agriculture, which regulates livestock industry, has confirmed 47 new infectious diseases in three states.
It appears that the virus called H5N1 cannot spread from person to person yet. However, one recent mutation appears to have brought us closer to human transmission.
This week, an international group of virologists concluded that regaining avian flu requires continuous monitoring of milk from dairy farms, wastewater and people dealing with infected animals.
Authorities are testing bulk milk, helping to identify infected herds. However, the agricultural sector's plan to combat the avian flu is currently focusing on lower egg prices and has little mention of dairy cows.
Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins has proposed improvements to farm biosecurity and helps growers in 10 states prevent the spread of the virus on their premises.
“The initial expansion of these ongoing efforts will focus on egg soaking facilities as part of USDA's coordinated efforts to address egg prices, but we expect other poultry and dairy producers will also be included as the programme expands and implements.”
An early wave of federal layoffs caused a veterinarian in the avian flu-specific agriculture sector who was fired and then hired. Even today, many people still handle government credit cards with one limit, making it difficult to travel and buy the supplies they need without lobbying to earn extended credit.
The Agriculture Department opposed the evaluation. “The government-issued credit card restrictions will automatically increase once staff is approved travel,” a department spokesman said in an email.
On April 1, the Trump administration fired veterinarians and other scientists at the Food and Drug Administration, who investigated raw pet food contaminated with H5N1, which made cats sick, and supported proposals to develop vaccines and treatments for infected animals.
And according to one official who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, the CDC began withheld genetic analysis of virus samples collected from people. Even some internal teams are no longer able to review them.
Recent analysis shows that on average, federal agencies release data 242 days after collection. Ideally, the task should not take more than a few weeks, scientists said. This delay makes it even more difficult for scientists to track the spread of the virus and accurately assess threats to people.
Important reports in the agency's publications, including weekly reports of honorable mortality and morbidity, said the former official who spoke about the terms of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
In February, in lieu of scheduled reports of avian flu infections in household cats, agency scientists were ordered to produce and publish a paper on the effects of Los Angeles wildfires on air quality.
Avian flu research appeared a few weeks later, but agency staff said they were appalled at the delayed orders from above.
The Biden administration has made regular inter-ministerial calls on avian flu, including dozens of outside experts and state health officials, and has given them the latest findings. These calls ended like much of the CDC guidance on monitoring.
All communications from the CDC must be cleared by federal health officials in Washington. The agency has not held avian flu press conference since January.
“We've seen a lot of people who have had a lot of trouble with their health,” said Dr. Adam Rowling, a virologist and infectious disease doctor at the University of Michigan.
The country maintains stockpiles containing millions of doses of human vaccines against avian influenza. However, amid cuts in the health sector, agencies that oversee stockpiles and specialize in rapid emergency distribution have moved to the CDC.
Dawn O'Connell, who led the administration for strategic preparation and response, an agency that maintained its stockpile under the Biden administration, said the modification would “add a layer of bureaucracy instead of removing it.”
In the interview, several employees in the CDC and the agricultural sector said that morale was low and fell with each layoff. At the City Hall meeting on April 16, about a quarter of the veterinarians present said they would sign on to a postponed resignation programme that offers full amounts and benefits until September 30th.
It was difficult to overlook cows infected with H5N1 last year. They developed heat and produced viscous yellow milk. Some cows had voluntary abortions.
However, it turns out that cows can be reinfected, and the symptoms of the second round become subtle, making it difficult to identify infected cows and protect the people they work with. (Rapid testing to detect viruses in cattle and people is not available yet.)
Reinfection suggests that the virus may permanently colonize dairy cows. At the same time, the virus continues to circulate in wild birds, evolving about twice as fast as a bird, like a cow.
A new version known as D1.1, thought to cause more serious illnesses, came out in September and quickly became the dominant variant. The government's response was not comparable to this speed.
In Nevada, milk samples collected on January 6th and 7th tested positive for avian influenza on January 10th. Ideally, the 12 farms that contributed to these samples would have been isolated while the results were confirmed.
Instead, more samples were taken on January 17th, with results confirmed a week later.
The Agriculture Department said in a statement that delays in test results would not affect response to the outbreak. “It is important to note that response activity is sequence-independent and occurs tentatively,” the department said.
Michael Warby, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona, said he wasn't that sure. “This looks like a case where you close the barn door after the cows are gone,” he said.
He said it may still be possible to wipe the virus out on American farms if the Agriculture Bureau strengthens containment efforts.
For example, a rapid test that allows rapid detection of H5N1 in bulk milk can give civil servants more time to eliminate outbreaks compared to tests that produce results in a few weeks.
“We think it's the goal that we should drive unless it's obviously useless,” Dr. Warby said of the virus's expulsion.
At this point, it's not easy to move the virus away from the farm.
For example, if an infected duck flies over a farm and defecates, it is unlikely that millions of birds will be infected, an outbreak could begin. Farmers may track the remains into chicken barns. Infected rodents can pass through small gaps.
The chickens are packed together and have a weak immune system. A bird sneezes the virus can quickly lead to hundreds or even thousands of sick birds.
For the past two years, the Agriculture Department has worked with egg producers in four states: Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.
Federal officials have helped identify and remove nearby wildlife, including mice, and have removed the entrance to the virus that farmers may miss. Only two of the 108 facilities that participated in the pilot project had subsequently suffered from the virus.
The project is currently scheduled to expand this year to 10 states, including California, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. It plans to expand to all 50 states by 2027. Agricultural experts are expected to help agricultural experts identify the smallest gap in defense against avian flu.
The proposal has attracted praise from scientists, but some experts, including veterinarians in the agricultural sector, were not sure how the program would be implemented.
Department staff have been working hard since early 2022 to turn back the bird flu. There are already not enough employees to identify facility defects to keep the farm going, identify facility defects, and ensure they are ready to reopen.
“We've been running for three years without breaks, so people are starting to get tired,” said the veterinarian who was asked to remain anonymous without permission to speak to news media.
Given how birds are growing on farms now, even the toughest measures may not be enough to keep the virus out, said Andrew Decoriolis, executive director of Advocacy Group Farm Farght.
“Its outbreak is destined to continue until the industry changes fundamentally,” he said.
