HQ Team
October 4, 2024: The US state of California has confirmed two human cases of bird flu, bringing the total number of cases in the current year to 16, government data showed.
The latest two human cases were reported in people who had contact with dairy cattle infected by the virus.
Sixteen human cases of bird flu have been reported in the US during 2024, bringing the total to 17 cases since 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Ten cases have been reported in 2024 from Colorado, two each from Michigan and California and one each from Texas and Missouri.
Six of the 16 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.
Animal-to-human virus
“There is no known link or contact between the two cases, suggesting only animal-to-human virus spread in California,” according to a statement from the California Department of Public Health.
One previously reported case was under investigation and the CDC has confirmed it as positive for bird flu. “These are the first human cases of bird flu identified in the state and are both in Central Valley individuals who had contact with infected dairy cattle,” the department stated.
Like the first case, the second individual has also experienced mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis, and neither reported respiratory symptoms nor was hospitalized.
Cows at dairy farms in California started testing positive for bird flu in late August.
Serologic testing of contacts of the case in Missouri is ongoing. CDC has recommendations in place to protect people against H5N1 bird flu in dairy cattle.
Raw milk, raw cheese
These include avoiding contact with wild birds and sick or dead animals and not preparing or eating unpasteurized (raw) milk or raw cheese.
The risk to the general public remains low, but people who interact with infected animals, like dairy or poultry farm workers, are at higher risk of getting bird flu, according to California’s health department.
The public health department recommended that personal protective equipment, or PPE, such as respirators (N95 masks), eye protection (face shields or safety goggles), and gloves be worn by anyone working with animals or materials that are infected or potentially infected with the bird flu virus.
Pasteurized milk and dairy products continue to be safe to consume, as pasteurization is fully effective at inactivating the bird flu virus.
Personal protection equipment
The USFDA said it would begin testing raw cow’s milk intended for pasteurization at dairy plants to better understand the prevalence of the bird flu virus in milk.
The California Department of Public Health has distributed PPE from state and federal stockpiles directly to affected dairy farms, farmworker organizations, poultry farm workers, those who handle raw dairy products, and slaughterhouse workers.
As one of the 14 states with infected dairy herds, California also received 5,000 additional doses of seasonal flu vaccine for farm workers from the CDC.
People exposed to infected animals should be monitored for the following symptoms for 10 days after their last exposure — eye redness, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhoea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing, and fever, the department stated.
California’s health department recommended that all Californians — especially workers at risk for exposure to bird flu — receive a seasonal flu vaccine.
