Panelists sparked controversy with comments on issues ranging from vaccinating humans for bird flu to the need for federal funding.
In a Wednesday hearing, representatives of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Perelman School of Medicine visited Harrisburg to brief lawmakers on the avian flu crisis.
The joint hearing of the House Agriculture & Rural Affairs and Health committees brought lawmakers up to speed on the spread of bird flu, otherwise known as H5N1, across the Commonwealth. The disease has similarly been detected in livestock across the country, though with a drastically lower mortality rate and with no known infections in Pennsylvania cows so far.
Testifiers also addressed the impact of the disease on humans, as legislators still reeling from years of Covid-era policymaking confront fears of a new pandemic. There are 70 known cases of human contraction of H5N1; Louisiana’s Department of Health announced the first – and, to date, only – case of human death from the disease on Jan. 7.
“I think that we’re at a point of this situation where we should consider, as a country, vaccinating people working with poultry, people working with cattle. I know that has been discussed on a national stage,” stated panelist Scott Hensley, a microbiology professor and investigator for the Penn Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response.
Upon being questioned whether there is a truly human-safe vaccine for the disease, Hensley admitted, “We don’t know.” The researcher emphasized that, though for now the highest-risk population are those working with infected animals, “that can change literally overnight, and I think we have to continue to invest in these H5 vaccines that could potentially be used if there’s a human pandemic.”
The hearing comes on the heels of the state House’s passage of legislation eliminating citizenship requirements for licensed poultry technicians. Though HB 324 has been characterized as addressing worker shortages amid the avian flu crisis, its provisions have been questioned as opening the floodgates for loosened restrictions during times of emergency.
“Let’s think back. The year is 2020. It’s a, quote, ‘national emergency,’” stated state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz in floor debate on the bill. “Governor Wolf and Attorney General Shapiro close your business but kept Wolf’s cabinetry business open. They banned funerals. They mandated Covid patients back into nursing homes. They banned hospital visits.”
🚨Dangerous Bird flu legislation HB 324 rammed through the legislature this week in PA.🚨 I did all I could to stop it. pic.twitter.com/F5CXsZ9f1J
— Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (@RepBorowicz) February 7, 2025
Borowicz went on to question the bill’s unspecified expansions of the state Secretary of Agriculture’s powers, asking, “Will they be able to come on your land and kill your chickens and your animals?”
As state lawmakers wrestle with legislating to address the economic and health impacts of H5N1, poultry farmers across the Commonwealth have been forced to rely upon a crippled industry for their livelihoods. After a Feb. 15 tour of Lancaster County poultry farms, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) promised to advocate for federal resources to mitigate the crisis.
“This virus not only threatens Pennsylvania’s top agriculture sector but also the families and communities who depend on it,” said McCormick. “Together, we must combat this outbreak to protect our state’s economy, safeguard flocks, and keep food affordable for every Pennsylvanian.”
Amid the Trump administration’s freezing and auditing of federal funds, however, avian flu researchers say they are “sweating a little bit.”
“My center – it’s about $10 million a year we get from federal spending,” Hensley shared in the state House hearing. “That goes away next month – guess what? The whole staff’s getting laid off.”
