A fourth farm worker in the United States has contracted bird flu in an outbreak tied to dairy cows, with the individual from Colorado experiencing conjunctivitis but recovering after treatment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reassures the public that the overall risk remains low amidst reports of infections across multiple states.
A fourth farm worker in the United States has been infected with bird flu in an outbreak connected to dairy cows, health officials reported on Wednesday. The affected individual is a man from Colorado who had direct exposure to infected dairy cows. He experienced conjunctivitis (pink eye) and has since recovered after receiving antiviral treatment.
Earlier instances of human infection linked to dairy cows were reported among workers in Texas and Michigan. Additionally, another case was linked to poultry exposure.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that the new infection does not modify their assessment that the risk to the general public remains low. Surveillance systems have not detected any unusual flu activity in the U.S.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, over 135 dairy herds across twelve states have reported infections with the Type A H5N1 virus, which initially spread from poultry.
