Health authorities reported Thursday that a man got infected with a highly infectious variant of avian flu (H5N1), which caused the death of hundreds of birds in several states. The case is the first in the United States.
According to a statement from the state health department, the man suspected to be was working on a commercial farm in Colorado and engaged in culling poultry. He was suspected to be infected when he got directly exposed to the bird flu.
The patient is under the age of 40 and has manifested only one symptom: tiredness. He was taking the antiviral medication Tamiflu, per the department, NBC News reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) verified a positive test conducted this week by the state health department, which reported it has been tracking people exposed to poultry and wild birds.
The state health department also said that the affected flock was euthanized.
The man was identified as a prison inmate working at a Montrose County farm as part of a pre-release employment program.
Health Authorities Closely Monitor The Bird Flu Outbreak
Since the outbreaks in US wild birds and poultry in late 2021 and early 2022, the CDC has been monitoring for infection among people who have been exposed to H5N1 virus-infected animals. H5N1 viruses have been detected in 29 states in commercial and backyard birds, and in 34 states in wild birds, as per a report from ABC 7 Chicago.
The CDC has tracked the health of almost 2,500 humans who have been exposed to H5N1 virus-infected birds, but this is the first example. Other people participating in the Colorado culling operations tested negative for H5 virus infection, but authorities said they were being retested for extra caution.
Despite public health experts' concerns that a mutation could pose a risk to humans, just one additional human case has been identified worldwide: in December, a person who raised birds in the United Kingdom tested positive for the virus but had no symptoms, according to the CDC.
Poultry Supply And Prices Affected
In 2003, earlier variants of the virus-infected approximately 880 people, according to the agency. Though the virus infects just a small percentage of the population, it can be deadly when it does. The CDC estimates a 60% fatality rate.
The H5N1 virus has been detected in commercial and backyard birds in 29 states, as well as wild birds in 34 states, as per the CDC.
More than 200 birds allegedly died in an epidemic near Chicago, and the virus has killed at least three bald eagles in Georgia. Subsequently, millions of chickens and turkeys have been slaughtered to keep the virus from spreading, triggering a rise in poultry costs.
The United States is the second-largest poultry meat exporter in the world and a major egg producer, but trade has stalled since the bird flu outbreak, as per a report from The Scientist.
According to Reuters, the USDA considers vaccinating birds against the fatal disease. Although the doses would arrive too late to stop the ongoing outbreak, advocates argue they could save poultry.
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