Wat-Not Staff
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday that a person in Missouri has contracted bird flu. After being admitted to the hospital on August 22 and making a full recovery, the adult had no known contact with dairy cows or chickens.
First Human Case of H5 Avian Flu Without Known Animal Contact
It was announced on Friday by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services that an individual who has no known animal interaction has tested positive for H5 avian flu. For the first time in the US outbreak, no patient has been documented to have come into contact with ill animals. Additionally, this is the first time that a person has been admitted to the hospital due to bird flu; however, it is still unclear if the stay was necessary or just coincidental.
The patient tested positive for flu A on August 22 and was admitted to the hospital. The patient has underlying medical issues. A sample was delivered by doctors to the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory, where it was discovered to be of the highly virulent avian influenza (H5 subtype), also referred to as bird flu.
The Missouri statement stated that the patient had made a full recovery and was released from the hospital.
CDC Warns of Potential Bird Flu Severity and Transmission Risks
Principal Deputy Director of the CDC Nirav Shah stated in a July exclusive interview with the Guardian that there were other issues with this outbreak that officials were keeping an eye on.
“One is increasing the severity of disease,” such as if a person were hospitalized or died from bird flu, he said.
The mild cases that have previously occurred in the US have included farmworkers, who are typically robust and in good condition. Bird flu may be more harmful to the general public, particularly to people with underlying medical issues.
“The second would be the nature of transmission,” Shah said. “Are we seeing person-to-person transmission?”
Since H5N1 was first detected in humans two decades ago, human-to-human transmission has been incredibly rare. It is likely that officials will keep tracking the patient’s contacts and possible exposures in order to determine how the virus spread.
“If we were to see individuals with no connection to a farm whatsoever, or chicken exposure, developing signs and symptoms – that would be greatly concerning,” Shah said. “Even if there was no other transmission route identified, that would be a sign that something else is happening,” the official said. It “can occasionally infect humans through close contact with infected animals or contaminated environments”, according to the Missouri press release, he further added.
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