United States – Federal and state health departments have confirmed a third human case of bird flu in California, along with two additional potential cases. The latest confirmed case involves a dairy farm worker in the Central Valley who had contact with infected cows, as reported by the CDC on Thursday. Notably, all three confirmed cases have occurred in women from different farms, and there is no evidence of interaction between the patients, as reported by The Hills.
Mild Symptoms and No Hospitalizations
In all three instances, the symptoms reported have been minor, primarily consisting of red eyes with traces of blood, a symptom associated with conjunctivitis. None of the patients required hospitalization.
Additional Potential Cases Identified
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CFDH) has identified what appears to be two new human cases of bird flu in Central Valley. The CDC reiterated that a human acquiring bird flu in cases when the person has had contact with an infected animal was expected and does not alter the agency’s outlook of low risk for the general public.
Continuing Challenge of Bird Flu Infection in Dairy Cattle Flocks
Since August this year, H5N1 bird flu has been found on dairy farms in California where more than ninety herds have been confirmed to have the disease, the Department of Agriculture has said. Adding this most recent case, for a total of 17 cases human cases reported thus far in the US this year, previous human cases have been found in workers from Texas, Colorado and Michigan, as reported by The Hills.
CDC Confirms Stability of Virus Strains
On Thursday, CDC officials announced that they had sequenced the viruses from the first two human cases detected last week. The results indicated no genetic changes that would suggest an increased ability to infect others or a reduction in sensitivity to antiviral drugs.
