The first serious case of bird flu in the United States has been confirmed in Louisiana

CNN
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A patient in Louisiana has been hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1 bird flu, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, the first such case in the United States.

The agency said Wednesday that the person had been exposed to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks; This is the first case of bird flu in the United States linked to a backyard flock. This virus is the same type that has recently appeared in people in Canada and Washington state, but is different from the type found in dairy cows, poultry outbreaks and other cases in people in the United States became.

The CDC said it is working on additional genomic sequencing from samples from the patient in Louisiana and that the investigation into the patient’s exposure is ongoing.

In other countries, bird flu has been linked to serious human illness and death. No person-to-person transmission has been detected. “This case does not change CDC’s overall assessment of the immediate public health risk from H5N1 avian influenza, which remains low,” the CDC said.

Since April, 61 human cases of H5 avian influenza have been reported in the United States, mostly among dairy and poultry workers. But the Louisiana case shows that people with flocks of chickens in their backyards, hunters and other bird lovers should take precautions.

“The best way to prevent H5 avian influenza is to avoid exposure when possible,” the agency said in a news release. “Infected birds excrete avian influenza A viruses through their saliva, mucous membranes and feces. Other infected animals may shed avian influenza A viruses through respiratory secretions and other body fluids (e.g., in unpasteurized cow’s milk or “raw milk”).”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.