A third person in the US has bird flu. This time is different

A third dairy worker in the U.S. has tested positive for the bird flu infection that is causing outbreaks in cattle in at least nine states.

The Michigan farmworker was exposed to infected cows and is the the first of three recently confirmed cases to present with respiratory symptoms, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The previous two people – another in Michigan and another in Texas – had no respiratory symptoms, but had discharge from their eyes. The dairy worker in the latest case worked on a different farm in Michigan than the one in the previous case reported in the state.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the dairy worker in the latest case also experienced “watery discharge” from the eyes, but also reported a cough (without fever). Tests on patient samples performed by the Michigan Department of Health were positive for influenza A (H5), the strain of bird flu. Further tests conducted by CDC scientists confirmed the results.

It’s unclear whether respiratory symptoms indicate the virus is changing; CDC scientists are conducting additional sequencing studies to determine if this is the case.

The CDC says there are no spikes in flu cases among people in areas where the virus has been reported in cows, nor are there any unusual increases in emergency room visits or positive laboratory tests for flu. So far, there have also been no reports of the virus being transmitted from person to person in the homes of infected workers. In all three cases, the infected workers, as well as their families, were monitored and received antiviral medications.

For now, the agency says the outbreak in cows does not pose a significant threat to the health of people who do not routinely work with the animals. Those who do, however, should wear protective equipment and exercise caution when handling sick or dead animals, including birds and cows, as well as monitor and report any flu-like symptoms. symptoms to your local health department.

Everyone should also avoid raw milk, which has not been pasteurized, advises the CDC. The temperatures required for pasteurization generally inactivate the virus, so pasteurized milk remains safe to drink, according to the agency.