Colorado Workers With Bird Flu Were Working During Extreme Heat, Under Large Fans, CDC Says

Reuters (7/16, Douglas, Steenhuysen) reports, “Colorado workers who contracted bird flu were working during extreme heat and under large fans, factors that made wearing protective equipment difficult and potentially contributed to their infections, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.” The federal agency “had previously confirmed four cases and a fifth presumptive positive case of bird flu among Colorado farm workers who were killing and disposing of chickens that had contracted the virus.” When employees “were killing the infected chickens, it was 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in Colorado, and strong industrial fans made it hard for workers to keep protective gear on their faces, [CDC Principal Deputy Director Nirav] Shah said.”