MICHIGAN- Another Michigan dairy plant worker has been diagnosed with bird flu, the third human case associated with an outbreak in dairy cows in the United States, health authorities reported on Thursday.
The patient reported cough and eye discomfort, unlike the two workers, who only had eye symptoms, health authorities said. The worker was quickly given antivirals and is recovering from respiratory symptoms, Michigan health officials said.
The risk to the public remains low, although farm workers exposed to infected animals are at higher risk, according to health authorities. The Michigan cases occurred on different farms and there are no signs of spread between people, officials said.
“Risk depends on exposure, and in this case, the relevant exposure is to infected animals,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.
In late March, a Texas farm worker was diagnosed in what authorities called the world’s first known case of a person contracting this version of bird flu from a mammal.
Last week, Michigan authorities announced the first case in that state. The worker who contracted bird flu developed eye symptoms after “a direct splash of infected milk into the eye,” Michigan health officials said in a statement.
“Direct exposure”
None of the Michigan workers were wearing masks or other personal protective equipment, which “tells us that direct exposure to infected livestock poses a risk to humans, and that personal protective equipment is an important tool to prevent infection.” among people who work on dairy and poultry farms,” Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical officer of the Michigan Department of Health, said in a statement.
There are between 100,000 and 150,000 workers on U.S. dairy farms, according to estimates by the United Farm Workers of America.
Since 2020, the bird flu virus has spread among more animal species—including dogs, cats, skunks, bears, and even seals and porpoises—in dozens of countries.
As of Thursday, the H5N1 virus had been confirmed in 66 dairy herds in nine states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This new case marks the fourth time that the H5N1 type A virus has been diagnosed in a person in the United States. In 2022, an inmate participating in a work program became infected while slaughtering infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered. That was before the virus appeared in cows.
Source: AP
