- A person in Texas has been diagnosed with H5N1 bird flu after exposure to cattle presumed to be infected.
- This is the second person to test positive for H5N1 bird flu in the United States, and the first case linked to exposure to cattle.
- The risk to the general public remains low, because there is no sign of person-to-person transmission of the virus.
A person in Texas has been diagnosed with bird flu after close contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected, health officials said Apr. 1.
The person’s only symptom is eye inflammation, and they are being treated with the antiviral drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir), Texas health officials said. The risk to the public “remains low,” they added.
This is the second person in the United States to test positive for H5N1 bird flu, and the first case linked to exposure to cattle, federal health officials said.
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There is no evidence of person-to-person spread of the virus, Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told AP News.
The tests also suggest that the infection in the patient involves the eyes, but perhaps not the upper respiratory tract.
In late March, dairy cows in Kansas and Texas tested positive for bird flu. Since then, the outbreak has spread to additional herds in New Mexico and Ohio.
Federal agriculture officials emphasized that the food supply remains safe. Milk from sick cows is diverted or destroyed, and pasteurization kills any viruses or bacteria in milk.
Bird flu is a disease caused by an influenza virus that mainly infects birds.
These types of viruses, known as
There are two groups of these viruses: low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The second group causes severe disease and high death rates in infected birds. This group includes the highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus — aka H5N1 bird flu — detected in cattle and the patient in Texas.
Certain bird flu viruses can spread to and infect
“People who are at risk are those who have direct and prolonged exposure with infected, ill or dead animals, or areas contaminated by infected birds or animals,” said Dean Blumberg, MD, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
It is rare for bird flu viruses to spread from an infected person to another person, but it has happened. In these
“Human-to-human transmission is extraordinarily rare,” Blumberg told Healthline, “and in fact there is no risk of sustained human-to-human transmission, so this [virus] poses no threat to the general public.”
The federal government maintains a
However, Blumberg said the chance of that happening right now is low.
“It would be concerning if avian influenza evolved to be more easily transmitted among people, since [we have] little to no immunity to this virus,” he said. “However this has not happened since bird flu was first described almost 150 years ago.”
- eye redness
- flu-like upper respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose
- pneumonia
- fever
- muscle or body aches
- headaches
- fatigue
- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
As of December 2023,
However, the severity of the cases varied depending upon the genetic characteristics of the virus involved, ranging from causing no symptoms to leading to severe illness and death.
With only one human case in the recent outbreak associated with dairy cattle, it is too soon to know if all cases will be mild like the first one. Health officials are closely watching the situation.
To protect yourself and your pets from bird flu, the
- Avoid direct contact with wild birds, or with wild or domestic birds that appear sick or have died.
- Avoid unprotected exposure to infected live or dead animals, including cattle, domestic pets, and other mammals.
- To move or discard a dead bird or other animal, don’t touch it with your bare hands. Use gloves or a plastic bag to place the body inside a garbage bag.
- Wash your hands with soap and water after exposure to wild birds or other animals, as well as domesticated farm animals.
If you find a dead bird, check with your state health department, state veterinary diagnostic laboratory, or state wildlife agency to find out how to report it.
In addition, “for those who work in the [animal] industry and do have contact with potentially infectious animals and environments, full personal protective equipment) should be used including goggles, N95 or equivalent, gown, gloves, hair and boot covers,” said Blumberg.
The CDC also recommends that you get a seasonal flu vaccine. This won’t protect you from bird flu, but will reduce your risk of getting seasonal flu and bird flu at the same time.
Health officials reported that a person in Texas has been diagnosed with bird flu after close contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus.
The person’s only symptom is eye inflammation. Tests by the CDC suggest that the infection in the patient may only involve the eyes, not the upper respiratory tract.
While bird flu virus is known to spread from wild and domesticated birds to mammals, including people, this is the first case in a person that involves exposure to infected cattle.