By MIKE STOBBE (AP Medical Writer)
A person in Texas has been diagnosed with bird flu, which is linked to the recent detection of the virus in dairy cows, according to health officials on Monday.
The person is receiving treatment with an antiviral drug, and the only symptom reported was redness in the eye, as stated by Texas health officials. The individual had contact with cows suspected to be infected, and the risk to the public is considered low.
Last week, there were reports of bird flu infections in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, and subsequent confirmation of infections in a Michigan dairy herd that recently received cows from Texas, as confirmed by federal agriculture officials.
Since 2020, the bird flu virus has been spreading among more animal species globally, including dogs, cats, skunks, bears, as well as seals and porpoises. The detection of the virus in U.S. livestock is an unforeseen and challenging development, according to Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC outbreak investigator who now serves as dean of the University of Nebraska’s public health college.
Bird flu was first recognized as a threat to humans during an outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997. According to the World Health Organization, more than 460 people have died from bird flu infections in the past two decades.
The majority of infected individuals contracted the virus directly from birds, but scientists have been vigilant for any sign of human-to-human transmission, with their main concern being the potential mutation of the virus to enable easy spread among humans, an occurrence that has not transpired yet.
This is only the second instance of a person in the United States being diagnosed with the Type A H5N1 virus. In 2022, an inmate in a work program became infected while euthanizing infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. The only symptom experienced was fatigue, and the person recovered.
Texas officials did not disclose the identity of the newly infected individual, nor did they provide any details about the circumstances that led to their contact with the cows.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
