United States: The second human case linked to an epidemic in dairy cows in the United States is a dairy worker from Michigan who has been diagnosed with bird flu. This is something which is spreading in humans, however the health experts are worried about the consequences of this bird flu outbreak in humans because human transmission can be so dangerous.
Michigan Dairy Worker Contracts Bird Flu
Health officials from the United States and Michigan announced the case on Wednesday, saying that the patient had minor ocular problems but has since recovered. The public is not at significant risk, according to officials, despite the worker having come into touch with cows that are thought to be affected.
Symptoms and Recovery
The person’s nasal swab came back negative for the virus, but an eye swab showed positive results, “indicating an eye infection,” according to a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The first case was reported in late March, when a farmworker in Texas was identified as the first person to contract this strain of bird flu from a mammal worldwide, according to officials. The patient had a full recovery and complained just ocular inflammation.
Spread and Risks
A bird flu virus has been spreading throughout numerous animal species in numerous nations since 2020. These species include dogs, cats, skunks, bears, seals, and porpoises. The discovery in American cattle earlier this year was a surprising development that raised concerns about food safety and whether it would start spreading among humans.
Despite a consistent rise in the number of cow infections recorded, that hasn’t happened. The U.S. Agriculture Department reported on Wednesday that 51 dairy herds in nine states have tested positive for the virus.
Texas Farmworker and Colorado Prisoner
Michigan was home to fifteen of the herds. The number of those who were exposed to contaminated animals but were not tested or seen has not been disclosed by local health officials.
Spread among Dairy Herds
High concentrations of the virus have been discovered in the raw milk of sick cows, but pasteurized milk sold in supermarkets is safe, according to government officials, as heat treatment has been shown to eradicate the virus.
With this latest case, the Type A H5N1 virus has been identified in an American person for the third time. A prisoner participating in a work program in Montrose County, Colorado, in 2022 came into contact with it when executing diseased fowl. Fatigue was his sole symptom, and he made a full recovery. That was done before the virus started to infect cows.
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