The CDC stated that there is still little risk to the public and that it is sending a team to Colorado to assist with an investigation.
The H5 avian flu virus has been linked to three probable instances of illness in Colorado among poultry workers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday.
The three individuals only had minor symptoms, according to a statement from the CDC. It stated that an H5N1 bird flu outbreak was occurring at a poultry facility, and the infections happened to personnel who were culling diseased birds.
According to a statement from Colorado officials, the symptoms included conjunctivitis, or pink eye, and common symptoms of respiratory infections. However, they said that none of the patients required hospitalization.
According to state epidemiologists, contact with infected chickens appears to have been the source of the diseases.
The CDC stated that there is still little risk to the public and that it is sending a team to Colorado to assist with an investigation.
According to the CDC, H5N1 avian flu infections in humans are alarming because they have the potential to cause serious illness and could even start a pandemic if the virus were to evolve and become more easily transmissible.
The cases are a part of a widespread H5N1 bird flu outbreak that has been affecting wild birds all over the world, infecting poultry, several animal species, including dairy cows in the United States.
“In Colorado and other states affected by H5 bird flu outbreaks in cows and poultry, there are no signs of unexpected increases in flu activity,” the CDC stated.
The three are thought to have bird flu based on preliminary tests conducted by Colorado officials, which revealed they were sick with a unique strain of influenza. The CDC has received samples for follow-up testing.
If confirmed, they would be the seventh case of bird flu in the United States since March and the fourth instance in Colorado.
As of 2022, there has only been one human incidence of H5N1 following exposure to poultry, according to the CDC’s website. The previous instance was published in April 28, 2022. Since 2022, there have been four incidents involving human exposure to dairy cows. This year was the year for all dairy cow cases.
The results of the investigation, according to the CDC, will determine whether new guidelines are required. If a modification to the risk estimate is necessary, it will also be crucial to analyze the viral sequences from this outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that its guidelines for H5N1 are still the same and advised humans to stay away from close, extended, or unprotected contact with sick or dead animals, such as chickens, other farmed birds, wild birds, and cows.
It further advised against unprotected exposure to animal excrement, litter, raw or unpasteurized milk, and items that have come into contact with or been in close proximity to animals that have been suspected or confirmed cases of bird flu.
SOURCE : NBC NEWS
