Second bird flu case confirmed in human in US: What to know

Federal officials are downplaying the public health risk after the second-ever human case of “highly pathogenic” avian influenza in the United States was confirmed in Texas on Monday.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said the infected man contracted the virus while working as a dairy worker. State health officials say the person had mild symptoms, but he is being treated.

“This infection does not change the human health risk assessment of H5N1 avian influenza to the U.S. general population, which CDC considers to be low,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. (CDC) said in a statement. on monday.

The CDC further states that people who have had “close or prolonged unprotected exposure to infected birds or other animals (including livestock) or environments contaminated by infected birds or other animals” are at increased risk of infection. he added.

The USDA has confirmed cases in dairy herds in five states: Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico, and the result in Idaho is “presumptive” positive.

The CDC says the movement of cattle across state lines, particularly from Texas, is a contributing factor to the spread. States such as Nebraska have issued temporary restrictions. Regarding the import of cattle due to avian influenza.

Here’s what you need to know:

Worst animal outbreak in U.S. history

Avian influenza, also known as H5N1 or avian influenza, has cost billions of dollars in poultry worldwide, but outbreaks of cattle and human infections are rare.

The modern history of avian influenza in humans began in China in 1996 and spread from geese to people in Hong Kong the following year. Over the course of two months, a third of the 18 people infected died. According to the CDC.

The Hong Kong outbreak was the first to show that the virus can be transmitted directly from birds to humans. Since then, for almost 30 years, transmission of avian influenza has often been explained by direct or long-term contact with infected birds or ingestion of birds.

However, since then, cases of human infection with the disease have been sporadic and isolated. What public health experts fear most is human-to-human transmission of the virus, but this has not yet occurred.

Still, the virus killed more than 50 percent of human victims from 2003 to 2016. Research published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Second human infection in history in the United States

The Texas dairy worker’s infection is the second in the U.S., but it is the first to be infected by a cow.

In 2022, a Colorado inmate participated in a work program at a poultry facility and contracted the virus after killing infected birds.

Neither the Texas dairy worker nor the Colorado prisoner had serious symptoms and recovered after treatment, the CDC said.

Record outbreak among poultry

In the United States, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has affected 82 million birds in 48 states, resulting in mass culling of commercial poultry and billions of dollars in losses. It was the worst outbreak of bird flu in U.S. history. According to the USDA.

Just one day after the dairy worker was infected, Cal-Maine Foods, a major poultry producer, announced that its “population” of approximately 2 million chickens had been reduced due to a positive HPAI test at its facility in Farwell, Texas. was ordered to reduce the

Texas Department of Agriculture Secretary Sid Miller ordered a temporary shutdown of the plant and called on producers to take action.

“Given this latest development, all producers must practice enhanced biosecurity measures. The rapid spread of this virus means we must act quickly. ” he said.

This virus is a variant of influenza whose “natural host” is wild waterfowl. impossible to eradicate According to the World Health Organization (WHO), zoonotic diseases are here to stay.

The CDC determined the risk to the public was “low” after finding no mutations that could spread to humans, and said commercial products such as milk, eggs and chicken remain safe.

Public health officials are alarmed by the spread of bird flu.

The WHO called for extensive monitoring of all cases of HPAI, whether in animals or humans, for signs that HPAI has mutated and poses a threat to humans.

“The emergence of influenza A viruses capable of infecting humans and sustaining human-to-human transmission has the potential to cause an influenza pandemic,” the WHO said. “[The] Humans have little or no immunity to the virus,” he added.

The CDC recommends that people practice good hygiene and avoid consuming sick or dead animals, animal feces, and unprocessed or uncooked animal products such as raw milk and raw eggs.