First Human Case Of H5 Bird Flu Recorded In Colorado: CDC
The CDC says that the infected person was working to destroy birds believed to have a version of H5N1 bird flu, and that the risk to the public is believed to be low. The virus strain is currently affecting millions of American birds in around 30 states.
Stat:
CDC Reports First Human H5 Bird Flu Infection In U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Thursday that a person in Colorado has tested positive for an H5 bird flu virus — the first such recorded infection in the United States.
The CDC did not reveal the neuraminidase subtype of the virus — the N portion of an influenza A virus’ name. The country is currently experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in both wild birds and in commercial poultry flocks. The man, described by Colorado health officials as being younger than 40 years old, experienced only fatigue; he is now in isolation and being treated with the flu antiviral oseltamivir. A statement from Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment said he is incarcerated at a state correctional facility and was culling poultry as part of a pre-release employment program. The CDC described the poultry outbreak as presumptively having been caused by H5N1. (Branswell, 4/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Bird Flu Detected In Person In Colorado
A person in Colorado tested positive for a version of avian influenza, federal officials said, marking the first known human case in the U.S. of a bird flu that has ravaged poultry flocks for months. The unidentified person had direct contact with poultry and was working to destroy birds believed to have a version of H5N1 bird flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. The person’s only symptom was fatigue, the agency said. An earlier case in December in the U.K. was in an asymptomatic person who also had contact with infected birds. (Kamp, 4/28)
Reuters:
U.S. Reports Its First Human Case Of H5 Bird Flu
The first known human case of H5 bird flu in the United States has appeared in a person in Colorado, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday. The person tested positive for avian influenza A(H5) virus and was involved in the culling of poultry presumed to have had H5N1 bird flu, the CDC said in a statement. "This case does not change the human risk assessment for the general public, which CDC considers to be low," the agency added. (4/29)
USA Today:
Bird Flu: First Human Case Of Current H5N1 Strain Located In US
A Colorado prison inmate who had direct exposure to poultry infected with avian flu is the first person in the U.S. to test positive with the current strain. The man, who is an inmate at a state correctional facility in Delta County, has showed mild symptoms of fatigue, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said. "This case does not change the human risk assessment for the general public, which CDC considers to be low," the CDC said in a statement. (Santucci, 4/28)
The CDC stresses the risk is low —
CNN:
Human Bird Flu Case: CDC Confirms Case Of Bird Flu In Colorado Man But Says The Public Health Risk Assessment Remains Low
"This is the second human case associated with this specific group of H5 viruses that are currently predominant, and the first case in the United States," the CDC said. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said the man is a state inmate younger than 40 who was working at a commercial farm in Montrose County.
The man has recovered after experiencing fatigue, CDPHE said. He is currently isolated and is being treated with the antiviral drug oseltamivir. (Dillinger, 4/29)
The bird flu outbreak is spreading —
CIDRAP:
Six States Report More Avian Flu Outbreaks, Poultry Losses Top 35 Million
Six states reported more highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in poultry, including Nebraska, where the virus struck a large layer farm housing 2.1 million birds, according to the latest notifications from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Nebraska's outbreak, the state's seventh, occurred in Knox County, located in the northeast corner of the state. Elsewhere in the Midwest, three states reported more outbreaks, all involving backyard birds. They include Kansas (Republic County), Michigan (Saginaw County), and North Dakota (Richland County). (4/28)
