It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Bird flu risk to Danish cattle – new tool can warn farmers before infection spreads
Bird flu can infect both cows and humans. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have developed a tool that can predict where and when the risk of infection is highest.
Sudden drop in milk production, thickened milk, and cows under movment restrictions. Since 2024, American farmers have had bitter experiences with the feared bird flu (H5N1), which in several cases has been introduced to cattle – and then spread rapidly among cattle herds. In some instances, humans have been infected as well. The contagious virus is increasingly being transmitted from wild birds to mammals –such as cattle.
The outbreaks in the U.S. raise the question of whether Denmark is sufficiently prepared should the infection spread to Danish cattle.
But now there is good news for both authorities and concerned dairy producers. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have developed a tool that can predict where and when the risk of infection is highest. The tool is based on infection data from the U.S. outbreaks and adapted to Danish context.
“We have combined detailed data on wild bird abundance with cattle density in the U.S. to calculate how easily the infection can be transmitted from wild birds to cattle,” says You Chang, a postdoc at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Copenhagen.
So far, bird flu has not been detected in Danish cattle. But the experiences from the U.S., where more than 1,000 herds across 19 states have been infected, show that there is good reason to be prepared. The recent detection of H5N1 antibodies in several Dutch dairy cows and earlier cases in British sheep, suggests that bird flu may already be spilling over to non-poultry livestock in Europe. The researchers behind the study believe it is likely only a matter of time before Danish cattle test positive for bird flu – and knowledge and preparedness are therefore needed.
“This is the first European study that uses outbreak data from the U.S. to assess the risk of transmission of bird flu from wild birds to cattle, and applies that data to a European context,” says Beate Conrady, professor at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.
Denmark Is Especially Vulnerable
Several of the outbreaks on American cattle farms are directly linked to wild birds. And because Denmark is located along key migratory bird routes, our small country is particularly exposed. With the new tool, researchers have combined wild bird abundance, movement, outbreak in the other EU countries with information on cattle density. This knowledge makes it possible to pinpoint where – and when during the year – the risk of infection is highest.
“This gives Danish cattle farmers the opportunity to be alert if they know they are in a high-risk area and it’s a time of year when the risk is elevated. Then they can keep a closer eye on whether their animals show symptoms. At the same time, the knowledge can help authorities consider targeted surveillance, such as testing milk for early detection” says You Chang.
Data from the study shows that in Denmark the risk of infection is highest from December to March, and farmers located along the country´s western coasts and on Lolland should be especially vigilant.
Preparedness Should Be Standard
The first confirmed case of infection in cattle was registered in 2024 in the U.S. state of Texas. And the virus doesn’t just spread among animals. In the U.S., 71 people have been infected with the disease, which has primarily manifested as eye infections. It is mainly employees in the poultry and dairy sectors who have been infected.
Although the infection has not yet been detected in Denmark, there is good reason to be prepared. The researchers emphasize that the study focuses on the risk of the virus being introduced from wild birds into cattle herds. Whether the virus would spread further between farms in Denmark remains uncertain and is still under investigation.
“Being ready for a potential launch in Denmark is essential. Preparedness should not be a luxury – it should be standard,” says Beate Conrady.
Barcelona, March 19, 2026 (EMBARGOED)-. Socioeconomic factors are widely recognized as potential modifiers of the relationship between air pollution and mortality, but the available evidence remains limited. In this context, a new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center–Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), analysed how socioeconomic conditions and the transition to renewable energy in Europe influence vulnerability to air pollution. The results, published in Nature Medicine, show that regions with higher poverty levels and lower adoption of renewable energy are those with the highest risk of mortality associated with air pollution.
The study analysed a daily mortality database with 88.8 million deaths from the EARLY-ADAPT project (https://www.early-adapt.eu) between 2003 and 2019 in 653 contiguous regions of 31 European countries, including a population of 521 million people. Daily levels of air pollutants—fine particulate matter (PM2.5), coarse particles (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and the 8-hour maximum daily ozone (O3)—were estimated using advanced machine learning models.
The researchers also incorporated regional socioeconomic indicators and data on renewable energy consumption, obtained from Eurostat’s regional statistics database. The epidemiological models included these socioeconomic and renewable energy variables to describe how the mortality risks of air pollution are different between populations, and how they evolved over the present century.
The higher the poverty, the greater the vulnerability to air pollution
The health risks of air pollution are not determined by pollution levels alone. They also depend on how vulnerable people are. Even when regions experience similar air pollution, the health consequences can differ greatly because of socioeconomic and demographic conditions.
The study showed regions with higher gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, lower poverty rates, and higher life expectancy, mainly in Northern and Western Europe, presented a lower risk of mortality associated with air pollution. In contrast, the most disadvantaged areas, located in Southern and Eastern Europe, recorded significantly higher risks, even doubling those of regions with better socioeconomic conditions.
These inequalities have also evolved differently over the present century. Wealthier regions experienced a significant decrease in the risks associated with PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 between 2003 and 2019. In contrast, regions with lower income or life expectancy saw only small improvements—or in some cases even increases—in mortality risks associated with these pollutants during the study period.
According to the research team, several mechanisms could explain these patterns. “It is not just that poorer regions are more polluted. Wealthier regions usually have better-equipped healthcare systems, more comprehensive public health programs, and greater social awareness of the effects of air pollution, as well as a higher capacity to implement environmental policies,” notes Zhaoyue Chen, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study. “Quantifying the mortality risks attributable to air pollution in each region and period can help identify the most vulnerable populations more accurately,” he adds.
The effect of adopting renewable energy
The study also analysed how the transition to renewable energy affects mortality related to air pollution through two complementary pathways: by reducing air pollution levels and by lowering population vulnerability to air-pollution-related health risks.
The analyses show that the increase in renewable energy during the present century is associated with a reduction in air pollution of 15% for fine PM, 54% for coarse PM, and 20% for NO2. This represents a decrease in the mortality due to air pollution of 12% for fine PM, 52% for coarse PM, and 20% for NO2.
In addition, regions with higher and rapid renewable energy adoption experienced lowering population vulnerability to the health impacts of air pollution. Renewable energy adoption is a key component of sustainable environmental and climate policy frameworks and is often accompanied by social and infrastructural improvements—such as cleaner public transport, greener cities, more walkable urban design, cleaner technologies, and stronger environmental regulations—that can reduce communities’ susceptibility to air pollution.
However, progress has been uneven across the continent. Northern countries generally show high and rapid growth in the adoption of clean energy, while several Southern and Eastern countries, such as Malta, Cyprus, Italy and Poland, continue to show a relatively high dependence on fossil fuels.
“Western European countries generally tended to invest more resources in clean energy, green infrastructure, and stricter emission controls. Eastern European countries, on the other hand, have often relied more heavily on external funding and remain at an early stage of integrating renewable energy and pollution-control measures,” says Joan Ballester Claramunt, principal investigator of the EARLY-ADAPT project and senior author of the study.
According to the research team, although the analysis focused on Europe, the implications are global, as in many low- and middle-income countries, rapid urban growth and industrial expansion advance faster than investments in clean energy and environmental protection, which could further increase population vulnerability to the effects of pollution.
Health alerts of air pollution for vulnerable populations
The air pollution estimates and epidemiological models of the study were used in Forecaster.Health (https://forecaster.health/), an impact-based early warning system issuing alerts of mortality risks due to temperature and air pollution for vulnerable population groups.
Socioeconomic and energy transition disparities in air pollution-related mortality across Europe
Article Publication Date
19-Mar-2026
Caregiving without a net: Poll shows who needs help most
Many older caregivers face financial stress and aren’t aware of or don’t use programs designed for them, especially if they don’t have friends or family to help them out
National Poll on Healthy Aging findings about caregivers over 50 and their awareness of and use of services to support the adults they care for, such as adult day care and respite care.
Nearly a third of Americans over age 50 provide regular care to an adult relative or friend with a health issue or disability, a new poll finds. But many of them don’t know about, or use, local resources that could help them with caregiving.
And about 20% of these caregivers are like highwire acrobats working without a net, the poll reveals. They’re taking care of someone else with health needs, but without close friends or family members to pitch in if they needed help with their own health concerns.
The new findings from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging could inform caregiver-related policy discussions at state and national levels.
It also suggests a need for increased awareness of existing programs such as adult day programs and respite care, and local organizations like Area Agencies on Aging, that address the needs of adults aged 60 and older and their caregivers. Such programs can connect caregivers to services, support, and resources that can reduce their burden and improve the day-to-day care they provide.
The poll is based at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and supported by Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center, with additional support for Michigan-specific polling from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.
Caregiving and caregiver support
In all, the poll finds 22% of people over 50 served as caregivers in the last year for an adult with health or disability needs who they don’t live with, and 12% did so for someone they live with. Taken together, 32% of all people over 50 served as caregivers for at least one adult with health or disability needs.
In all, 17% of all caregivers say they do not have the support they need to manage their caregiving responsibilities.
But the percentage saying this was much higher — 41%— among the caregivers who also reported they did not have close friends or family to depend on for help with their own needs.
That’s compared with a much lower percentage saying they don’t have support for caregiving responsibilities — just 11% — among caregivers who do have friends and family to depend on for their own health needs.
“This is an issue we need to keep our eyes on as our nation continues to grapple with the growing demand for unpaid, untrained caregiving for older adults and for people with disabilities and serious health needs,” said Florence Johnson, Ph.D., M.S.N., M.H.A., an Assistant Professor in the U-M School of Nursing and member of IHPI. “Our poll shows that 23% of all people over 50, including many who are already caregivers for one or more adults, may lack family or friends to help them if they needed support with health needs. But they may not know where or how to find services.”
Financial impacts of caregiving
The poll asked about the financial impact of caregiving for a relative or friend with health issues or a disability.
Caregivers often take time away from work if they’re employed or spend money on transportation and other expenses to provide care. But most family or friend caregivers cannot receive pay from insurance or government sources for their efforts, except in rare circumstances.
In all, 34% of caregivers said caregiving resulted in financial challenges for them. The percentage was higher (40%) among those aged 50 to 64 than those over age 65 (27%). It was also higher among caregivers whose own physical or mental health is fair or poor, or who have a disability themselves.
The percentage citing a financial challenge from caregiving was also higher, at 47%, among caregivers who say they don’t have family or friends to help with their own health needs.
Among all caregivers who feel they don’t have enough support to manage their caregiving responsibilities, the poll team asked what would help them most.
The top answer by far, mentioned by 69%, was financial assistance or subsidies for caregiving expenses.
Day programs and respite care: Lack of awareness and use
The poll also asked caregivers about their awareness of, and use of, programs that many communities have made available for people with disabilities and older adults.
The first was adult day programs, where a caregiver can bring their relative or friend to take part in supervised, structured activities for a few hours to a full day, together with other people in their age group or with similar conditions or disabilities. Such programs can give a caregiver a chance to take time for themselves or catch up on work, or just relieve stress.
Only 9% of caregivers said the person they care for had used such programs, while 60% said they hadn’t used one but the caregivers had heard of them. That left 21% of caregivers who haven’t ever heard of adult day programs and 10% who didn’t know if the person they care for had ever attended an adult day program.
The poll also suggests communities could use many channels to get the word out about adult day programs, and any costs or sliding-scale fees involved. Among caregivers who had heard of adult day programs, there was no one way that people most frequently reported using to hear about them.
Another option for caregivers and the people they care for is respite care, which provides a “break” from caregiving through a paid or unpaid helper coming to the home, a short-term stay in a residential facility, or an emergency respite (for example if a caregiver has a sudden health issue).
Among caregivers who felt they don’t have the support they need, 39% said that respite care or temporary relief from caregiving was a service that could help them the most with their caregiving responsibilities.
Yet only 11% of all caregivers had used any form of respite, while 57% hadn’t used it but had heard of it, and 32% had never heard of it. Male caregivers were much more likely to say they had never heard of it.
Of those caregivers who had used respite care, 33% said it was to take time for themselves, and 33% said it was to relieve stress and prevent burnout.
Poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., said it’s important for health care providers to be attuned to their patients’ roles as caregivers, as well as to the family or friend caregivers who may be taking care of them.
“We see a real awareness gap here, and health care providers can help by making sure that information about local resources is available in waiting areas, patient education packets and more,” he said. Kullgren is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the U-M Medical School who provides primary care to veterans at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
“If our patients are feeling unsupported or stressed as caregivers, it can affect their own mental and physical health, and their ability to keep up with healthy habits that are important for long-term healthy aging,” he added. “Making sure they know about adult day programs and respite care could be a way to help them make caregiving sustainable.”
Michigan findings
In addition to the national poll findings, the poll team analyzed data from Michigan residents over age 50 via the Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging with support from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Overall, Michigan results were in line with the national findings.
In all, 31% of Michiganders over 50 serve as caregivers to one or more adult family members or friends who have a health issue or disability. And 33% of these Michigan caregivers say that caregiving has resulted in financial challenges for them. Meanwhile, 17% say they don’t have the support they need to manage their caregiving responsibilities, and this percentage was higher among caregivers without close friends or family to depend on for help with their own needs.
In all, 19% of Michigan caregivers over 50, and 23% of all Michiganders over 50, say they do not have family members or close friends that they could depend on if they needed support with their daily needs.
But the poll shows that most of these Michigan caregivers don’t use or aren’t aware of programs designed to help with caregiving.
When asked about adult day programs, only 10% of Michigan caregivers said the person they care for had used such programs, while 50% said they hadn’t used one but the caregivers had heard of them. That left 26% of Michigan caregivers who hadn’t ever heard of adult day programs and 14% who didn’t know if the person they care for had ever attended an adult day program.
And only 15% of all Michigan caregivers had used any form of respite care, while 55% hadn’t used it but had heard of it, and 30% had never heard of it.
At the same time, among Michigan caregivers who felt they don’t have the support they need, 35% said that respite care or temporary relief from caregiving was a service that could help them the most with their caregiving responsibilities.
About the poll
The National Poll on Healthy Aging is a nationally representative survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The survey was administered online and via phone in September 2025 to 2,698 U.S. adults age 50 to 95 from the AmeriSpeak panel. The Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging includes data from 1,270 Michigan adults age 50 to 93 from the AmeriSpeak panel, which were compared to 2,334 non-Michigan adults age 50 to 95. All poll data are weighted to reflect the 50+ populations nationally and in Michigan.
