A farmworker was contaminated with chicken flu from a dairy cow, the third human case within the current outbreak.
Wealthy Pedroncelli/AP
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Wealthy Pedroncelli/AP
Up to date 3:10 p.m. ET
Michigan’s well being division introduced Thursday a human case of chicken flu in a dairy employee. It’s the third human case reported to this point within the present U.S. avian flu outbreak amongst dairy cows.
In contrast to the earlier two instances which solely concerned eye an infection, this affected person has respiratory signs, based on a press release from Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical govt with the Michigan well being division. The affected person had direct publicity to an contaminated cow and wasn’t sporting any private protecting gear.
“This tells us that direct publicity to contaminated livestock poses a danger to people,” mentioned Bagdasarian.
The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention mentioned in a press release that its labs examined a pattern from the Michigan affected person and confirmed it was H5N1 chicken flu. The affected person had flu-like signs, together with a cough and eye discomfort. The affected person was handled with antivirals and is isolating at house. No different staff or family contacts of the affected person have gotten sick thus far.
The CDC mentioned that danger to most of the people stays low. Like the opposite two current instances, this an infection got here from direct publicity to an contaminated animal. “There isn’t a indication of person-to-person unfold of A(H5N1) viruses at the moment,” based on the CDC.
The CDC is monitoring knowledge from influenza surveillance techniques, and mentioned “there was no signal of bizarre influenza exercise in individuals.”
Nonetheless, scientists following the outbreak say this human case is troubling improvement.
“Our considerations about this outbreak are coming true,” says Dr. Rick Vibrant, a virologist and the previous head of the Biomedical Superior Analysis and Improvement Authority (BARDA). “The longer the U.S. permits this outbreak to proceed, with out acceptable measures to cease it, with out conducting testing in cows and other people, extra individuals might be at elevated danger for publicity and an infection.”
Vibrant says it’s an issue that there is not higher sharing of chicken flu knowledge within the U.S., and there’s no more testing and precautions to stop unfold. He warns this may result in extra people contaminated by animals. And that would ultimately lead the virus to adapt itself to unfold amongst people. “This virus will discover a strategy to switch extra effectively amongst people. That is what occurs with a virus like this,” he advised NPR.
Each the CDC and Michigan well being officers emphasised the significance of defending farm staff from attainable publicity.
Michigan Division of Agriculture and Rural Improvement director Tim Boring mentioned his division is providing help to dairy farms in want of protecting gear. “Correct use of non-public protecting gear is one of the best instrument we’ve got to guard farm staff.”
Will Stone contributed to this report.
