The US has now reported its fourth case of bird flu in humans after contact with infected dairy cows, this time in the state of Colorado.
As in the previous cases, the woman worked on a dairy farm and was exposed to cows in which the H5N1 virus had been detected, the CDC announced Wednesday.
In April, the first case of bird flu was reported in a dairy farm worker in Texas, and two more cases were reported in Michigan. The patient in Colorado showed only mild symptoms of bird flu in her eyes and was given an antiviral medication. She has since recovered, they said.
However, the CDC reiterated its call for precautions for farmworkers who come into contact with infected cows. As for the Colorado case, “further genetic analysis” is being conducted to identify possible virus variants that could “change the agency’s assessment of risk” to the general public.
The virus is increasingly spreading to mammals
The H5N1 bird flu virus has increasingly spread to mammals, including dairy cattle, in the U.S. in recent months. Numerous herds of cows have been infected in several U.S. states; the epidemic was first detected in March.
Several people have already been infected, raising fears of an impending pandemic. In light of the spread of H5N1 in the US, Berlin Charité Chief Virologist Christian Drosten described the bird flu virus as a possible trigger for an upcoming pandemic.
Source: Krone
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