The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health alert following confirmation of a person becoming infected with avian influenza, also known as bird flu.
The CDC announced on April 1 that a dairy farm worker in Texas had been been diagnosed with the H5N1 bird flu, marking only the second national case of the virus infecting a person. The only other known U.S. case was diagnosed in a Colorado poultry worker in 2022.
On Friday, the CDC alert stressed the importance of informing "clinicians, state health departments, and the public of a recently confirmed human infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza," while pointing out that the infection had likely been acquired from dairy cows.
The alert recommends that those working with birds or livestock use personal protective equipment (PPE) to lower the risk of infection. PPE is also recommended when dealing with people who may have been exposed to the virus.
A CDC spokesperson told Newsweek via email on Friday night that the alert "is intended to inform clinicians," while risks "to the general public" remain "low."
The alert urges health care workers to monitor patients "showing signs or symptoms of acute respiratory illness or conjunctivitis and who have relevant exposure history" and suggests the isolation of those who may have contracted bird flu.
The lone symptom in the Texas patient was conjunctivitis, or inflammation of the eye. However, bird flu can also cause coughing, sore throat, fever, fatigue, shortness of breath and other serious symptoms. Over half of the over 900 human H5N1 cases reported globally since 1997 have resulted in death.
The CDC stressed the importance of those working with animals following recommendations that may reduce the chances of a future outbreak. The public was also urged to take common-sense measures to prevent infection, despite risks currently being low.
"People should avoid being near sick or dead animals or surfaces contaminated with the animal's feces, litter, raw milk, or other byproducts when not wearing respiratory or eye protection," the alert states.
"As always, people should not prepare or eat uncooked or undercooked food or related uncooked food products, such as unpasteurized (raw) milk or raw cheeses, from animals with suspected or confirmed [bird flu] infection," it continues.
While there have long been concerns about bird flu infections in people potentially sparking a new epidemic or pandemic, there have been no known cases of human-to-human transmission involving the viruses that are currently circulating.
However, public health officials expressed concerns last month following the discovery of the first known H5N1 cases in cattle, marking the first time that the virus had jumped from birds to cows.
The dairy cow outbreak began in late March and quickly spread from Texas, where the human case was also diagnosed, to include cases in at least six different states as of Friday.
The CDC said that testing of the virus had not revealed any genetic changes that would increase the likelihood of human infections or hinder the effectiveness of antiviral medications to combat infections.
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