The fourth human case of bird flu connected to the current dairy cow outbreak was confirmed on Wednesday in a Colorado dairy worker, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Previously, one human case was documented in Texas, and two in Michigan.
Similar to prior occurrences, the patient is a dairy farm worker who had contact with cows that tested positive for the H5N1 type of bird flu, generally known as avian influenza. The worker was being monitored owing to his exposure to diseased livestock, and he reported symptoms to state health officials.
Test results at the state level were inconclusive, but specimens forwarded to the CDC for further testing confirmed the presence of influenza A, according to the federal health department. The patient had just ocular symptoms, was treated with the antiviral medication oseltamivir, and has now recovered.
The CDC indicated that the risk to the general public remains minimal, but it recommends avoiding close, prolonged, or unprotected contact with sick or deceased animals. Additionally, individuals should avoid unprotected contact with animal excrement, litter, unpasteurized milk, or objects that have come into touch with animals suspected or proven to have bird flu.
In early March, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) disclosed that a bird flu strain responsible for infecting millions of birds across the country has been found in various mammals this year. A few weeks later, federal and state public health officials began looking into a sickness affecting mostly older dairy cows in Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas, with symptoms including decreased lactation and low appetite.
According to the USDA, “there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health.” According to a USDA interactive dashboard, Colorado recorded the most bird flu infections in cattle as of July 1, with 23 infected herds in the previous 30 days.
In late April, it was reported that avian flu particles had been identified in pasteurized milk samples. However, these pieces are inactive viral leftovers and cannot infect the host. Federal officials continue to declare that the commercial milk supply in the United States is safe because milk is pasteurized and dairy farmers are required to discard any milk from ill cows to keep it out of the supply chain.
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