WASHINGTON – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert Friday to inform clinicians, state health departments and the public that a person has contracted avian influenza after coming into contact with a dairy cow presumed to be infected with the virus.
A farm worker in Texas was reported infected on April 1, making this the second case of avian influenza H5N1 (commonly known as avian influenza) in the United States.
This follows a 2022 case in Colorado and comes as the virus is spreading to new mammals for the first time, including dairy cows.
To prevent infection by the virus, CDC recommends the use of personal protective equipment, testing, antiviral treatment, case surveillance, and treatment of sick or dead animals, wild animals and livestock, and people exposed to livestock that may have been infected with the virus. monitoring is recommended.
The CDC announced earlier this week that the disease does not change the risk assessment for H5N1 avian influenza in the United States in general, and that it considers the risk assessment to be low. The Texas patient’s only symptom was eye irritation, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
