First human case of bird flu confirmed in the United States

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Colorado inmate has tested positive for bird flu, in the first recent confirmed case of someone infected with the disease that has killed millions of chickens and turkeys, but federal authorities in the United States say they do not see a serious threat to the public.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said late Thursday that the person who tested positive had participated in a work program helping to remove chickens from an infected farm. The man, under 40, reported fatigue for a few days but has since recovered, public health officials and the CDC said in a statement.

The man has been isolated and is being treated with antiviral medication. Others involved in the Colorado chicken farm operation have tested negative but are undergoing further testing as a precaution.

Despite infection, the CDC considers the threat to the general public to be low because spreading the virus to humans requires direct contact with an infected bird.

Signs that could increase public health risk include reports of multiple infections in people exposed to birds or identification of person-to-person spread. The CDC is also monitoring the virus for genetic changes, which could indicate the virus is adapting to spread more easily from birds to humans or other mammals.

The current variant of the bird flu virus has been spreading among poultry and on commercial farms in the United States since late February. The virus has been detected on farms and farmyards in 29 states and in wild birds in 34 states. More than 35 million chickens and turkeys have been culled and removed to prevent the spread, the agriculture ministry reported.

Source: Publimetro