Bird flu has infected six farmworkers in Colorado this month — the most in any state — as health officials stressed the importance of preparedness to contain the H5N1 virus spreading in dairy herds and poultry flocks across the country.
Five of the workers were culling poultry at the same commercial egg-laying farm experiencing an outbreakaffecting nearly 2 million chickens, according to Colorado officials.
During a news briefing Tuesday, federal officials said temperatures soaring above 104 degrees made it difficult for workers to wear the required full-body suits, goggles and N95 masks to protect them from the virus.