US confirms another human H5 bird flu case tied to dairy cow outbreak

Los Angeles, May 23: A new human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5 bird flu) virus infection in the US has been identified, health authorities said. The case, identified in the state of Michigan, is the second associated with an ongoing multi state outbreak of H5N1 in dairy cows, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

The infected individual is a worker on a dairy farm where the H5N1 virus has been identified in cows, according to the CDC. The patient only reported eye symptoms. The CDC has been watching influenza surveillance systems closely, particularly in affected states, and there has been no sign of unusual influenza activity in people, including in syndromic surveillance, the agency said.

Based on the information available, this infection does not change the CDC's current H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the US general public, which the agency considers to be low. People with close or prolonged, unprotected exposures to infected birds or other animals, or to environments contaminated by infected birds or other animals, are at greater risk of infection, according to the CDC.