New Human Contamination by Avian Influenza in the United States
Health authorities in the United States announced on Thursday that a third person has been infected with avian influenza in connection with an outbreak of this virus in cows. The risk to the American population, however, remained “low,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
Like the first two cases, the infected person works on a farm in Michigan and was exposed to sick cows. While the first two patients had only mild symptoms, this third case shows “more typical” respiratory disease symptoms, including cough (without fever), detailed the CDC.
An “unsurprising” case
The infected person was treated with an antiviral medication (oseltamivir), isolated at home, and “symptoms are improving,” the CDC added, noting that their close contacts did not show symptoms.
This third case is not surprising to health authorities due to the spread of the virus in many cow herds in at least nine U.S. states. “There is no indication of person-to-person transmission of the H5N1 influenza virus at this time,” emphasized the CDC.
Genetic analysis in progress
Announced on April 1, the first infection occurred in Texas in the southern United States. It was the first known case worldwide of avian influenza in a human via a cow. The second case was reported in Michigan last week. “A splash of milk in the eyes” was believed to be the source of contamination, according to Natasha Bagdasarian, a health official in the northern state.
For the CDC, the priority now is to prevent further infections among farm workers, emphasizing the need for states to provide appropriate equipment. Additionally, the CDC explained that “additional genetic analyses” would be conducted to detect any possible virus changes that “could alter the risk assessment.”