New York, 2 – A person in Texas, in the United States, was infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus after exposure to dairy cows that were also believed to be infected, the Centers for Control and Prevention reported on Monday, April 1. of Diseases (CDC).This is the second known case of a person in the US infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus. The person reported eye redness as their only symptom and is being treated with an antiviral medication. The human health risk of bird flu remains low for the general U.S. public, the CDC said, but people with prolonged exposure to infected animals or their environments are at greater risk.The previous case of human infection was reported in Colorado in 2022. Infections in humans are rare, but the agency said it has been monitoring people exposed to infected animals since late 2021. Infections in humans cause everything from mild respiratory symptoms and eye-related symptoms to severe pneumonia. Deaths have occurred in other countries. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported cases of avian influenza in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas in late March of this year. The virus was identified in unpasteurized milk from sick cows on two farms in Kansas and one in Texas, as well as in a cow in Texas. A few days later, the virus was also confirmed in a Michigan dairy herd that had recently added cows from Texas. This is the first time the H5N1 avian influenza virus has been detected in cattle in the U.S., according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. People should avoid unprotected exposure to sick or dead animals, as well as animal carcasses, raw milk, feces or other contaminated materials, the CDC said. People should also not consume uncooked or undercooked food from animals with a confirmed or suspected infection, the agency said. There are no concerns about the safety of commercial milk at this time as products on store shelves are pasteurized, according to the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dairy farms must send milk only from healthy animals for processing, and the milk must be pasteurized to enter interstate commerce for human consumption. Milk from infected animals is being removed from the chain or destroyed, the CDC said. Source: Dow Jones Newswires.
