(DailyDig.com) – A warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding a wave of bird flu to sicken humans as cattle contracting the disease had increased among herds across the country.
On April 5, the CDC notified leaders of many states during a meeting that they would need to update their plans of operations to deal with the possibility of workers on farms that would have positive H5N1 virus tests, according to the news media.
In Texas, one employee of a dairy farm tested positive recently, the second time a human had contracted bird influenza, which is highly pathogenic. According to the CDC, the first case of bird flu occurred in 2022 in a poultry worker in Colorado.
Officials are worried that humans could become more susceptible to the virus, even though it was not widespread at that time. The concern stems from reports of more cattle having positive tests for H5N1, mostly in Texas, but also on some farms in New Mexico, Kansas, Ohio, Idaho, and Michigan.
On April 5, Nirav Shah, the CDC’s director, and Dr. Demetre, the coordinator of the National Monkeypox Team in 2022, led the meeting with state leaders. They stressed the need for state officials from public health organizations to make sure their states have response plans for the bird flu.
The CDC said quick testing is needed to administer the proper treatment to anyone who may have been in contact with cattle that tested positive for H5N1.
The person in Texas who tested positive for the virus only reported a symptom of redness of the eye (conjunctivitis). Authorities have quarantined the patient, who is reportedly recovering and receiving Tamiflu treatment. Officials have reported that they don’t believe the patient infected another human with the virus.
The situation with H5N1 is an evolving matter, but they believe the risk to the public in general of actually contacting the virus is fairly low, per the CDC.
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