Bird flu’s ‘low risk’ to public, experts say. Here’s how to avoid it.
Despite a number of farm workers catching bird flu across the U.S., experts say there’s low risk to the general public with a few exceptions.
A person sickened by bird flu in Missouri was probably an isolated case, federal health officials said Thursday, though they are still investigating how the person became infected with no clear source of transmission.
The person is the 14th this year to become infected with the virus, which is potentially quite serious. It’s not yet clear whether the version of the virus in the Missouri person is the same as the one circulating among dairy cows and chicken farms in other states.
The infection was detected by routine influenza surveillance, which is designed to find “needles in haystacks,” Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters on Thursday.
“In this case, we found such a needle, but we don’t know how it got there,” he said. “Our investigation continues.”
Last Friday, state and federal officials said the case, only identified as an adult, was the first in Missouri among humans. The person was hospitalized on Aug. 22 for “significant underlying medical conditions,” which included acute onset of chest pain, nausea, vomiting diarrhea and weakness, Shah said.
The fact that the person had symptoms not typically associated with the flu doesn’t mean bird flu is somehow different than other types of influenza, Shah said, but rather reflects the person’s other health issues.
The person wasn’t severely ill and did not require intensive care. After receiving Tamiflu, a common antiviral medication, the person was discharged and recovered.
Epidemiologists are working to trace how, when and where the person was exposed to the virus, Shah explained. Through questionnaires, officials are asking the person about contact with potentially sick animals, including at a farm, fair or zoo.
Additionally, officials are investigating if the person came in contact with an infected person, though there has been no reported human-to-human transmission anywhere so far. Officials also said there isn’t indication the person consumed raw milk products.
They are trying to learn more from the virus’ genetic footprint.
The most important question is whether this was an isolated incident or part of a larger pattern of virus spread. Shah said evidence points to it being a “one-off case.” There has been no increase in emergency department visits or infections detected by labs.
Missouri officials identified the case through its routine influenza surveillance system and not because the patient had clinical symptoms or exposures suggestive of bird flu. Batches of positive influenza samples from hospitals are periodically sent to public health laboratories.
Missouri then alerted federal officials of bird flu. On Sept. 5, CDC received the person’s sample, tested it the next day, and alerted the public about the new case later that day.
“We don’t view this as a delay,” Shah said. “We view this as how the system works.”
Ramping up testing
In addition, officials announced they are ramping up testing by partnering with five commercial labs to develop H5 flu tests alongside CDC’s response. This is meant to build on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and the delayed response for testing for mpox in the 2022 outbreak.
Three companies have already received awards to develop H5 tests, Shah said. The CDC will also assist in scale testing for commercial labs in emergency situations, since most get tests through these companies.
The federal response is set to include $5 million in September and $118 million over five years if necessary.
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture also announced it had released a notice to conduct vaccine field safety trials for dairy cattle, said Dr. Eric Deeble, the agency’s deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs. This is an early step to develop a vaccine for livestock.
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Publish date : 2024-09-12 12:04:00
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