It’s been nearly eight months since bird flu was first detected in U.S. dairy herds, and cases in both cows and humans continue to mount.

That slow burn of infections through our country’s livestock, a new vessel for the virus, has never been good for public health. It creates more opportunities for the H5N1 virus to change in ways that put people at risk. But the continued spread among dairy cattle – and among a limited number of farm workers – is becoming increasingly alarming as we head into the winter flu season.