A recent report has revealed that growing fear among undocumented farmworkers in the United States is severely hindering efforts to prevent the s Bird Flu Pandemic posing a serious threat to public health. Dairy and poultry workers—who make up the majority of confirmed bird flu cases in the country—are reportedly too afraid to seek medical care due to heightened immigration enforcement. This fear, experts say, is causing a dangerous breakdown in detection and prevention efforts critical to avoiding a potential pandemic.
Rosa Yanez, an outreach worker with Strangers No Longer, a Michigan-based Catholic organization that supports immigrant communities, shared that many workers are even afraid to leave their homes. “People are very scared to go out, even to get groceries,” she said. Since March 2024, approximately 65 poultry and dairy workers have tested positive for bird flu, but infectious disease experts believe the actual number is likely much higher due to insufficient surveillance on farms and lack of reporting.
U.S. Efforts to Prevent Bird Flu Pandemic
The problem has reportedly worsened since the change in administration in January 2025. Outreach workers note that more aggressive immigration enforcement has increased fear among Latino communities, regardless of their legal status. One Latina health advocate in Michigan, who requested anonymity, explained that many farmworkers now avoid seeking care—even when displaying symptoms such as eye redness or pain. “Things have really intensified this year, and people are very, very scared,” she said.
This environment has created a deep divide between health professionals and farmworker communities. Advocacy organizations like Project Protect Food Systems Workers have found that the stigma and fear are affecting all Hispanic workers, not just the undocumented. “Regardless of immigration status, people who look like immigrants are feeling a lot of fear right now,” said Hunter Knapp, the group’s development director.
Antonio De Loera-Brust of the United Farm Workers highlighted the broader implications of this fear, noting that even anonymous conversations about unsafe working conditions or lack of paid sick leave have become increasingly rare. “Dairy workers became even less willing to speak out,” he said. Outreach Bird Flu Pandemic workers worry that the rapid policy changes and uncertainty under the Trump administration have made it nearly impossible for immigrant communities to trust any external support.
Efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to curb the virus—such as a targeted flu vaccination campaign for over 200,000 livestock workers—have also been compromised. Health workers report that vaccination rates dropped immediately following immigration raids in January, despite the CDC’s goal of reducing the risk of dual infections with seasonal and bird flu strains.
Anna Hill Galendez, managing attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said that dairy workers who initially showed interest in protective measures quickly became too frightened to follow through in Bird Flu Pandemic. “They wanted vaccines and testing,” she said, “but they were afraid to go anywhere because of immigration enforcement.”
Experts warn that every human infection increases the risk of the virus mutating into a more easily transmissible form. As De Loera-Brust succinctly stated, “The virus doesn’t care what your immigration papers say.” With public health hanging in the balance, advocates stress the urgent need to rebuild trust with vulnerable communities.
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