US issues bird flu alert after Texas man contracts bird flu virus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health alert on Friday (local time) to notify clinicians, state health departments and the public of a case of avian influenza in a person who had contact with a suspected infected cow. carry viruses.

The farmworker from Texas was reported to have been infected on April 1, marking the second case of the H5N1 avian influenza virus (commonly known as bird flu) discovered in the United States.

This is the first time the virus has spread to new mammals, including dairy cows, following a case in Colorado in 2022.
To prevent viral infection, the CDC recommends the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), testing, antiviral treatment, patient investigation, and monitoring of people exposed to sick or dead, wild and domestic animals and livestock that may be infected with the virus . Virus.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the infection would not change the U.S. public’s risk assessment of H5N1 avian influenza, which it considers to be low. The patient’s only symptom was eye inflammation, according to the Texas Department of Health.