Bird flu detected in Michigan dairy farm worker, CDC reports. Here’s what you should know.

A Michigan dairy farm worker has become the second human in the United States to contract bird flu, also known as bird flu, amid the latest outbreak among livestock. The person has since recovered and had only mild symptoms, state health officials said in a statement. Health officials still consider the risk to the general public to be low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added in its own May 22 press release. But the CDC is stepping up precautions, especially for people who have close contact with dairy cattle.

Here’s everything you need to know about the latest developments.

How many people in the US have been infected with bird flu?

The Michigan dairy worker is the second person to contract bird flu this year, and only the third in the US. Avian flu – which is technically a strain of influenza A, known to scientists as H5N1 – is spread in wild birds and, largely, to a lesser extent, poultry. In the US, the virus began to spread among birds in 2022when the first person contracted the virus while slaughtering an infected herd in Colorado, according to the CDC. The virus first began spreading among dairy cattle in the US in 2024. Dairy farm worker in Texas tested positive in April, and the Michigan dairy farm worker, the most recent case, has now become the third case in the US.

How many people have contracted bird flu around the world?

Since 2003, there have been more than 880 cases of human avian influenza worldwide, according to the CDC. But they are still rare and “sporadic”, occurring mainly in other countries. Until recently, the largest outbreaks occurred as a result of exposures at poultry markets, which are common in certain countries, including Egypt, China and Indonesia. But since 2021, human cases of bird flu have begun to emerge in countries that had never had them before. Australia, for example, reported its first case of bird flu on May 22, in a child who was infected in March after traveling to India. The child’s infection was “severe” but she has since recovered, according to Australian health officials.

How sick did bird flu make people?

All infections reported in the US have been mild. Just like the Texas dairy farm worker, the only symptom the latest infected person in Michigan showed was pink eye (also known as conjunctivitis). In fact, the Michigan farmworker initially tested negative for bird flu when a nasal swab was used; they only tested positive after an eye tissue swab, according to a CDC news release. Fatigue was the only symptom reported by the infected American poultry farmer in 2021, and all three Americans who had bird flu fully recovered. However, bird flu has led to serious infections and up to 463 deaths in other countries in the past, according to the World Health Organization.

Why is this happening now?

Viruses mutate constantly. But the latest mutations in bird flu are somewhat worrying. “This virus entering cattle is relatively new and somewhat unexpected,” Dr. Arnaldo Monto, a University of Michigan epidemiology professor who specializes in viruses, told Yahoo Life. The spread of bird flu among livestock means the virus has become better at infecting mammals, moving closer to being able to easily infect humans. But so far, the virus has only infected people in close, prolonged contact with dairy cattle.

Should I worry about getting bird flu?

No, unless you are a dairy farm worker. There were no cases of the virus spreading between people. And although more than 50 dairy herds have been infected, only two people have contracted bird flu in the U.S. out of more than 100,000 in the country. dairy farm workers. However, the CDC has urged states to keep an eye on human infections. On May 21, officials asked states to continue analyzing samples from people who tested positive for the flu throughout the summer, maintaining the level of vigilance that would be typical in the depths of winter flu seasons.

Are dairy and beef safe?

Yes, say the experts. Although fragments of bird flu have been found in about 20% of milk samples in supermarkets, these pieces of the virus cannot cause infection. So far, pasteurization – the standard sterilization process that milk goes through – has been shown to be very effective at inactivating bird flu in milk. Health authorities warned against alcohol consumption raw milk, however, it is not sterilized and can carry all types of viruses and bacteria. Cooking ground beef at medium or well-done temperatures also kills the virus.