The highly pathogenic HPAI H5N1 virus has spread to more than 50 animal species, including dairy cattle.
Washington, United States:
U.S. officials on Thursday reported the third human case of bird flu in the country linked to the current outbreak of the virus in dairy cattle.
The Michigan farmworker is the second person to fall ill with the disease in the Midwestern state, following a first case in Texas in April.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement that all three cases were transmitted from cows to humans, as opposed to human to human, which would be more concerning.
But he added that it was the first case “to report symptoms more typical of acute respiratory illness associated with influenza virus infection”, while previous cases resulted in mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis.
The person’s symptoms included cough without fever, eye discomfort, and watery eye discharge. They were treated with the antiviral drug oseltamivir and isolated at home, with symptoms resolving.
The worker was not wearing personal protective equipment, which health officials recommend for those who have close contact with dairy herds, the Michigan health department said.
In recent years, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus called HPAI H5N1 has spread and infected more than 50 animal species, including, since March, dairy cattle in the United States.
Unlike in Europe, American farmers are allowed to feed their livestock ground-up chicken scraps, which some scientists say could be a risk factor for bird flu – although the feed industry has disputed this claim and authorities in US believe that wild birds are responsible for infecting cows. .
“The risk to the general public who is not exposed to infected animals remains low,” the CDC said.
He added that finding a new case was “not surprising” because Michigan was proactively testing for cases among farmworkers.
In addition to wearing PPE, people should avoid close exposure to sick or dead animals, including wild birds, domesticated birds and other domesticated animals, according to the CDC.
They should also avoid touching animal excrement or bedding, or consuming unpasteurized milk, the agency added.
Recent tests have confirmed that rats become sick from exposure to raw milk contaminated with bird flu, but pasteurization destroys the virus.
More recently, the disease was found in farm-raised alpacas in Idaho.
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