Another Michigan dairy worker has bird flu, the third case in the US this year

Another Michigan farmworker has been diagnosed with bird flu, the third human case linked to an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows, health officials said Thursday.

The dairyman reported coughing, congestion, sore throat and watery eyes. The other two patients only had ocular symptoms, health officials said. The farmworker received antivirals and is recovering from respiratory symptoms, health officials said.

The risk to the public remains low, although farm workers exposed to infected animals are at greater risk, health officials said. The Michigan cases occurred on different farms and there are no signs of spread between people, officials said.

“The risk depends on exposure, and in this case, the relevant exposure is to infected animals,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.

A human case with respiratory symptoms was not unexpected – flu-like symptoms have been seen in previous cases of people contracting other strains of bird flu from birds. But it increases the odds of possible spread, said Dr. Nirav Shah of the CDC.

“Simply put, someone who coughs may be more likely to transmit the virus than someone who has an eye infection,” he said.

In late March, a farmworker in Texas was diagnosed in what authorities called the world’s first known case of a person contracting this version of bird flu — H5N1 Type A — from a mammal.

Last week, Michigan officials announced the second case in the US. That worker developed eye symptoms after “a direct splash of infected milk into the eye,” Michigan health officials said in a statement.

None of the Michigan workers wore face shields or other personal protective equipment, which “tells us that direct exposure to infected animals poses a risk to humans and that PPE is an important tool in preventing spread among individuals who work on dairy and poultry farms.” ,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical officer for the Michigan Department of Health, in a statement.

There are 100,000 to 150,000 workers on U.S. dairy farms, the United Farm Workers estimates.

Many dairy workers are reluctant to wear protective equipment such as masks when working with cows in “some of the wettest conditions imaginable,” said UFW spokeswoman Elizabeth Strater. The organization called for better access to equipment such as face shields — and for more information from employers about the risk of infection on affected farms.

“Most dairy workers don’t know how to protect themselves,” Strater said.

About 350 people in the U.S. have been monitored for bird flu symptoms this year, including at least 220 in Michigan, health officials said. So far, about 40 have been tested, they said.

Since 2020, the bird flu virus has spread among more animal species — including dogs, cats, possums, bears and even seals and porpoises — in several countries.

As of Thursday, H5N1 has been confirmed in 66 dairy herds in nine states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The new case marks the fourth time a person in the United States has been diagnosed with the virus. In 2022, a Colorado inmate on a work program contracted the virus while killing infected birds at a poultry farm. His only symptom was fatigue and he recovered. This was before the virus was found in cows.

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