United States: Health officials in California have confirmed a third case of bird flu in a person. This case involves a dairy farm worker who came into contact with sick cattle.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this news on Thursday. So far, all three confirmed cases of bird flu in California have been found in dairy workers from different farms, and none of them know each other.
In all three instances the symptoms were mild, and included a condition of red and blood shot eyes a symptom of conjunctivitis. In none of the three cases did hospitalization occur.
As reported by The Hill, the California Department of Health added that it has found two more suspected human cases in the Central Valley – an area in the state that prides itself in its farming industry.
It is not uncommon that bird flu virus is detected in people who have had contact with infected animals, the CDC pointed out, while downplaying the virus risk for the general public as low.
Violent cases of the H5N1 bird flu strain among California dairy herds began to emerge in August. Since, more than 90 herds has been infected by bird flu in the state as per the latest information from the Department of Agriculture. Out of these, the latest case brings the total human infections of the virus in the country this year to seventeen. of the three cases included hospitalization.
The California Department of Health said it has also identified two new possible human cases in the Central Valley, which is the state’s agricultural hub.
The identification of the bird flu virus in people with exposure to infected animals is not unexpected, the CDC said, and it does not change the agency’s risk assessment for the general public, which continues to be low.
Outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu among California dairy herds were first reported in August. Since then, more than 90 herds in the state have been affected by bird flu, according to the latest update from the Department of Agriculture.
Including this most recent case, 17 human cases of the virus have been reported in the country this year. Earlier cases were reported in workers in Texas, Colorado and Michigan.
The CDC also announced on Thursday that it had successfully sequenced the viruses from among the first two human cases that were reported the previous week and made the information available to the public.
The agency said that there were no alterations in the genetic code that remain obvious that the virus is more easily transmitted between people or of noted that the virus is less sensitive to antiviral drugs.