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By Tom Sanders
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The number of people infected by an outbreak of avian flu in Washington State is much higher than initially reported, a farm workers' union has revealed.
An outbreak of the H5 influenza virus has spread rapidly throughout the Yakima Valley, infecting over 30 dairy herds and causing the death of at least one person.
County officials claim three people have been infected with the virus following exposure at a dairy, but United Farm Workers (UFW) says the real numbers have been vastly underreported.
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“We have now connected with a number of workers and have confirmed that more workers are sick with avian flu symptoms who have not been tested,” the UFW said in a statement on X. “Their symptoms range from very mild to very severe.
“The workers report symptoms that range from mild upper respiratory infection with pinkeye to severe flu symptoms with bone pain, severe cough and high fever. We do not have reports that indicate human to human transmission, just workplace exposure to infected animals and milk.”
Newsweek has contacted the UFW and county health officials for additional comment.
The UFW cites an ongoing ICE surge in Yakima Valley as part of the reason for the depressed figures, claiming their presence has made many workers reluctant to engage with public agencies and fearful of disobeying their employers. The lack of proper sick pay and PPE training has also helped spread the virus and encouraged workers with milder symptoms not to report the infection.
“UFW staff are trying to support sick workers, but there are many barriers,” the union added. “Workers with milder symptoms are reluctant to be tested or miss work because sick cattle still need care. Workers are very afraid of ICE-related retaliation if they don’t follow employers instructions.”
The Yakima County health board reported the death of a resident on Sunday after they contracted avian flu through exposure to infected cattle. The individual, who had underlying health conditions, was hospitalized after experiencing severe illness and died shortly afterwards. Their identity has not been revealed.
“The Yakima health district offers its heartfelt condolences to the individual’s family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time,” the health board said in a statement.
Two other deaths have been linked to avian flu since it became a national public health concern in 2024. The CDC has reported more than 70 human infections throughout the U.S. since the start of the outbreak, although there have been no recorded instances of person-to-person transmission and the risk to the general populace remains low.
Farm workers remain one of the groups with the highest risk of contracting the virus due to their exposure to infected cattle.
“Protecting dairy workers protects everyone,” the UFW said. “As a reminder, consumers are not at any reasonable risk from consuming pasteurized milk. The front line of this risk, the human firewall, are the workers in the dairies (and the workers in the plants who process the raw fluid milk).”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Cristina Diciu.
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