What's New
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the first severe case of bird flu in the United States on Wednesday, after a patient in Louisiana was hospitalized.
There have been 61 reported human cases of the avian influenza strain known as H5N1 since April 2024, the agency said.
Why It Matters
Bird flu rarely makes the jump from animals to humans, but the CDC has been monitoring cases in 2024. This first severe case marks a potential shift in the severity of the current disease's spread.
What To Know
The CDC has been tracking cases of bird flu this year and said that the Louisiana case was different to a strain found in dairy cows, some human cases and some poultry outbreaks in recent months.
An investigation is underway into the source of the infection in Louisiana, but the patient had been exposed to sick and dead backyard birds, the agency said Wednesday.
Sporadic cases such as this one were not unexpected, the CDC added, especially among those working with potentially infected animals.
Recent data showed California and Colorado among the states with the most reported cases – at 34 and 10, respectively. The majority of states had not reported cases, CDC data showed.
Scientists have been worried about livestock, as H5N1 has spread rapidly through dairy cattle since spring 2023, along with many horses.
What People Are Saying
The CDC in a press release: "This case underscores that, in addition to affected commercial poultry and dairy operations, wild birds and backyard flocks also can be a source of exposure.
"People with work or recreational exposures to infected animals are at higher risk of infection and should follow CDC's recommended precautions when around animals that are infected or potentially infected with H5N1 avian influenza virus."
What is bird flu?
Bird flu takes many forms and is widespread among wild birds worldwide, with some domesticated poultry, pigs, horses and dogs also able to catch it.
Sick birds with a low-level infection tend to not show many symptoms. Poultry and chickens can have ruffled feathers and see lower egg production. When infections are more severe, populations see higher mortality rates.
It is rare but not unheard of for humans to become infected with bird flu.
What are the symptoms of bird flu?
In birds, symptoms of the infection include low energy and appetite, purple discoloration or swelling of body parts, fewer or misshapen eggs, a lack of coordination, and nasal discharge, coughing or sneezing.
In humans, bird flue presents itself in different ways, but the signs can appear quickly. They include a high fever, shivers, aching muscles, headache, coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, and a runny nose.
More severe symptoms include nausea or belly pain, vomiting, diarrhea, pneumonia, chest pain, changes in organ function, or bleeding from the nose and gums.
How does bird flu spread to humans?
H5N1 is one of the more common bird flu strains to make the jump from birds to humans.
The infected birds spread the virus through their saliva, mucus and feces. If these get into a human's eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled, then they can become infected. Virus particles could be in the air or on something touched by a person.
The CDC said that spread from person-to-person is rare, but that the possibility exists for it to adapt and spread more easily.
Who is most at risk for contracting bird flu?
Keeping track of the current H5N1 virus in humans has been down to the CDC and local health authorities, with one case in March 2024 linked to infected dairy cattle. Other cases have ben harder to pinpoint.
Those who are most at-risk of infection are poultry or dairy workers, as well as those responding to outbreaks across the U.S.
What's Next
The CDC insisted that the immediate risk to the public remained low Wednesday and that no human-to-human transmission had been detected.
It urged those who were more at-risk of infection from animals, such as farm workers, backyard flock owners and hunters to take precautions, including avoiding direct contact with wild birds and other animals infected with or suspected to be infected with avian influenza A viruses.
If contact is necessary with infected or potentially infected birds, people should consider wearing recommended personal protective equipment (PPE).
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