- A person in Texas has been recognized with H5N1 chicken flu after publicity to cattle presumed to be contaminated.
- This is the second person to check optimistic for H5N1 chicken flu within the United States, and the primary case linked to publicity to cattle.
- The threat to most people stays low, as a result of there isn’t any signal of person-to-person transmission of the virus.
A person in Texas has been recognized with chicken flu after shut contact with dairy cows presumed to be contaminated, well being officers mentioned Apr. 1.
The person’s solely symptom is eye irritation, and they’re being handled with the antiviral drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir), Texas health officials said. The threat to the general public “remains low,” they added.
This is the second person within the United States to check optimistic for H5N1 chicken flu, and the primary case linked to publicity to cattle, federal health officials said.
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There is not any proof of person-to-person unfold of the virus, Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, advised AP News.
The exams additionally counsel that the an infection within the affected person includes the eyes, however maybe not the higher respiratory tract.
In late March, dairy cows in Kansas and Texas examined optimistic for chicken flu. Since then, the outbreak has unfold to further herds in New Mexico and Ohio.
Federal agriculture officials emphasised that the meals provide stays protected. Milk from sick cows is diverted or destroyed, and pasteurization kills any viruses or micro organism in milk.
Bird flu is a illness attributable to an influenza virus that primarily infects birds.
These kinds of viruses, referred to as
There are two teams of those viruses: low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) and extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The second group causes extreme illness and excessive loss of life charges in contaminated birds. This group contains the extremely pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus — aka H5N1 chicken flu — detected in cattle and the affected person in Texas.
Certain chicken flu viruses can unfold 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,” mentioned Dean Blumberg, MD, chief of pediatric infectious ailments at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
It is uncommon for chicken flu viruses to unfold from an contaminated person to a different person, but it surely has occurred. In these
“Human-to-human transmission is extraordinarily rare,” Blumberg advised 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 authorities maintains a
However, Blumberg mentioned the prospect of that taking place proper now could be 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 mentioned. “However this has not happened since bird flu was first described almost 150 years ago.”
- eye redness
- flu-like higher respiratory signs resembling cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nostril
- pneumonia
- fever
- muscle or physique aches
- complications
- fatigue
- problem respiration or shortness of breath
As of December 2023,
However, the severity of the circumstances diversified relying upon the genetic traits of the virus concerned, starting from inflicting no signs to resulting in extreme sickness and loss of life.
With just one human case within the recent outbreak related to dairy cattle, it’s too quickly to know if all circumstances shall be gentle like the primary one. Health officers are carefully watching the state of affairs.
To shield your self and your pets from chicken flu, the
- Avoid direct contact with wild birds, or with wild or home birds that seem sick or have died.
- Avoid unprotected publicity to contaminated stay or useless animals, together with cattle, home pets, and different mammals.
- To transfer or discard a useless chicken or different animal, don’t contact it together with your naked arms. Use gloves or a plastic bag to place the physique inside a rubbish bag.
- Wash your arms with cleaning soap and water after publicity to wild birds or different animals, in addition to domesticated livestock.
If you discover a useless chicken, verify together with your state well being division, state veterinary diagnostic laboratory, or state wildlife company to learn 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,” mentioned Blumberg.
The CDC additionally recommends that you simply get a seasonal flu vaccine. This received’t shield you from chicken flu, however will cut back your threat of getting seasonal flu and chicken flu on the identical time.
Health officers reported {that a} person in Texas has been recognized with chicken flu after shut contact with dairy cows presumed to be contaminated with the H5N1 chicken flu virus.
The person’s solely symptom is eye irritation. Tests by the CDC counsel that the an infection within the affected person might solely contain the eyes, not the higher respiratory tract.
While chicken flu virus is thought to unfold from wild and domesticated birds to mammals, together with individuals, that is the primary case in a person that includes publicity to contaminated cattle.
