dairy cow
Shutterstock/Zhang Yuangeng
A man in the United States has contracted bird flu from an infected cow in Texas. This is the first confirmed case of the virus subtype H5N1, which is transmitted between humans and another mammal.
this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) made the announcement today after confirming positive test results over the weekend. The patient, whose only symptom was eye inflammation, is taking antiviral medication and is recovering. They came into contact with cows believed to be infected with the virus, which has decimated bird populations around the world.
Last week, cows in five U.S. states (Texas, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico and Idaho) tested positive for the H5N1 virus. It’s unclear how they became sick, but it now appears the virus may be spreading between animals, According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Previously, mammals have only been shown to contract the virus from sick birds. “There have been several outbreaks that did not include humans, and there may have been transmission between mammals,” said Richard Webby at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Tennessee. Late last year, for example, 17,000 elephant seal calves died from bird flu in Argentina. In 2022, an epidemic also broke out among Spanish farmed minks. But he said in this case it was difficult to rule out the possibility of other sources of the virus, such as contaminated food.
Despite recent human infections, the CDC says the risk of contracting avian influenza remains low for most people. People who have close contact with infected birds or other animals, including livestock, are most at risk. While pasteurized milk is still safe, people should avoid eating or handling raw milk products.
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