The bird flu has quietly made its rounds in the United States this year, mostly impacting cattle and farmworkers.
Since March, 60 cases in humans have been reported and symptoms at most were mild. However, this week, health officials have officially confirmed the first severe case of the disease in a 65-year-old Louisiana man, who also had underlying health problems. The man appeared to have contracted the virus from sick and dead birds in his backyard. According to the CDC, this is also the first case in the U.S. linked to wild birds not cattle.
The Louisiana man’s severe infection comes after a severe infection was detected in a Canadian teen, who also contracted the virus from wild birds. When on call with reporters, the CDC did not respond to questions concerning similarities or differences between these two cases.
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in the state as cases of the virus were detected in dairy cows on southern California farms. Previously, the virus had been detected in the state’s Central Valley.
“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” Newsom said in a statement.
To date, the virus has been detected in 865 dairy herds in 16 states, with nearly 650 of them in California. Raw milk was recalled from several dairy herds after the virus appeared in the milk’s testing samples.
Health experts caution people who have contact with sick or dead birds to take precautions, including wearing respiratory and eye protection and gloves when handling poultry.
Severe cases of the virus are expected to increase.
