By IDSE News Staff
The CDC confirmed two more human cases of H5 bird flu. These occurred in California among people with occupational exposure to infected dairy cows.
“The identification of H5 in people with exposure to infected animals is not unexpected and does not change CDC’s risk assessment for the general public, which continues to be low,” the CDC said, despite the Missouri case in a person with no known animal exposure. The Missouri patient, who was hospitalized, had underlying medical conditions, was treated with influenza antiviral medications, was subsequently discharged and has recovered.
No ongoing transmission among close contacts has been identified, which is why the CDC said the risk among the general public remains low.
The Missouri case of H5 was the first without a known occupational exposure to sick or infected animals.
Although there have not been any H5 outbreaks in cattle in Missouri, outbreaks of H5 were reported in commercial and backyard poultry flocks in 2024, according to the CDC. H5N1 bird flu also has been detected in wild birds in that state.
The CDC said the new cases in California, which are still being investigated, found no known link or contact between the first and second confirmed cases, suggesting these are separate instances of animal-to-human spread of the virus.
These are the first human cases of H5 in California, where H5N1 outbreaks among dairy herds were first reported in August.
Cases during 2024 have been reported in Texas (one), Michigan (two), Colorado (10), Missouri (one) and California (two). Six of the reported human cases have been linked to exposure to sick or infected dairy cows.?Nine cases had exposure to infected poultry.
The source of infection for the one case in Missouri has not been determined. Serological testing of contacts of the case in Missouri is ongoing.
