Two dairy employees in California had been contaminated with chook flu, the fifteenth and sixteenth human instances detected this yr in an ongoing outbreak affecting the nation’s dairy cows, well being officers stated Thursday.
The newest instances had been present in employees who had contact with contaminated cattle in California’s Central Valley, the place greater than 50 herds have been affected since August.
The employees developed eye redness referred to as conjunctivitis and had delicate signs.
California well being officers stated the employees had been employed at totally different farms and there’s no recognized hyperlink between the 2 instances, suggesting that they had been contaminated by means of animal contact, not by individuals.
The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention on Thursday confirmed the constructive check outcomes, the primary for California.
CDC officers stated new instances of chook flu in individuals uncovered to contaminated animals is “not surprising.”
The danger to the general public stays low, they added.
Throughout the U.S., greater than 250 dairy herds have been contaminated in 14 states for the reason that outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza was confirmed in March.
Avian influenza has been spreading in wild and home birds within the U.S. for a number of years however just lately was present in dairy cows.
Earlier than this yr, one case of chook flu was detected in an individual, a Colorado poultry employee who fell sick in 2022.
Most instances this yr have been detected in employees who had contact with cattle or poultry in Colorado, Michigan and Texas.
An individual in Missouri was additionally contaminated, however that particular person had no recognized contact with animals and the supply of that sickness has not been decided.
