The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed the first case of severe bird flu in the United States. The case was reported in a patient who is hospitalized in Louisiana and was linked to exposure to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks. This is the first H5N1 bird flu case in the US to be linked to backyard flocks, and it underscores the potential risks of exposure to wild birds, sick or dead birds, and other animals.
The patient’s genotype, which is different from the one detected in dairy cows and sporadic outbreaks in humans and poultry in several US states, is linked to recent human cases in Washington state and British Columbia, Canada, and wild birds and poultry in the US.
The CDC advises that the best way to prevent catching the bird flu is to avoid exposure, as infected birds shed the virus in their feces, saliva, and mucous, while affected animals can also shed the virus through respiratory secretions and other bodily fluids. People who are in close or direct contact with wild birds, sick or dead ones, or other animals should wear protective equipment and not touch surfaces with saliva, feces, or mucous.
Bird flu symptoms include muscle and body aches, a sore throat, cough, stuffy or runny nose, fever, fatigue, and shortness of breath. There have been 61 reported H5 bird flu cases in humans in the US.
The CDC stresses that while this case is classified as severe, it does not change their overall assessment of the immediate risk to public health from H5N1 bird flu, which remains low.
