Farm workers at Colorado dairy operations continue to face real risks from H5N1 avian influenza — commonly called bird flu — as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is again running its 2026 'Gear Up, Wash Up, Step Up' worker safety campaign targeting dairy workers and farm employees in states with confirmed H5N1 activity in cattle. First launched during the 2025 dairy outbreak that spread H5N1 to herds across multiple states, the campaign has been repeated this summer as H5N1 remains present in U.S. dairy cattle herds and sporadic human infections among farm workers continue to be documented.

Colorado was one of the first and most heavily affected states during the 2024–2025 H5N1 dairy cattle outbreak, with multiple confirmed infected herds across the state's northeastern cattle corridor. As of June 2026, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed H5N1 in poultry flocks across 12 states in 2026, with the dairy cow transmission chain that began in 2024 representing an ongoing occupational health risk for an estimated 500,000 agricultural workers in the United States.

The Risk Is Real for Farm Workers — but Still Low for the General Public

For the vast majority of Americans — including Denver residents with no direct contact with infected animals — the current H5N1 situation poses very low risk. The virus does not spread easily between humans, and drinking pasteurized milk or eating properly cooked meat from infected animals does not cause H5N1 infection. The CDC's current risk assessment maintains that the general public's risk is low.

The risk is concentrated among a specific and often overlooked population: the dairy farm workers and poultry handlers who work in direct contact with potentially infected animals daily, often without adequate protective equipment, working in conditions that may include exposure to animal saliva, respiratory secretions, feces, or blood — all documented transmission routes for H5N1 from animals to humans. Of the more than 70 confirmed U.S. human H5N1 cases since the dairy cattle outbreak began, the overwhelming majority have been farm workers. One human fatality was recorded — a Louisiana resident who had contact with both infected poultry and wild birds.

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What Farm Workers and Rural Colorado Communities Should Know

The NIOSH campaign — "Gear Up, Wash Up, Step Up" — provides specific guidance for dairy and poultry workers. Gear Up means wearing personal protective equipment, including gloves, eye protection, N95 respirators, and protective clothing when working with or near potentially infected animals. Wash Up means following strict hand hygiene protocols, especially before eating, drinking, or touching the face. Step Up means reporting symptoms to an employer or healthcare provider and seeking immediate medical evaluation for any fever, eye inflammation (conjunctivitis), or respiratory illness following animal exposure.

Anyone who works on a dairy or poultry farm in Colorado or another affected state and develops fever, conjunctivitis, cough, or difficulty breathing within 10 days of animal contact should call their healthcare provider before visiting, mention potential H5N1 exposure, and be tested for influenza. Antiviral treatment with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) is most effective when started within 48 hours of symptom onset. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment maintains updated H5N1 guidance for farm workers and employers.