Should we be worried about the avian flu raging across the Atlantic? A person has tested positive for bird flu after being infected by a dairy cow in the United States, authorities announced on Monday. They nevertheless specify that this infection does not change their assessment of the risk for the American population, considered “low”.
This is only the second case of someone testing positive for bird flu in the country, after the virus sickened flocks in Texas, Kansas and several other states over the past week.
Treated with an antiviral drug
“The patient reported redness of the eyes (consistent with conjunctivitis), as the only symptom, and is recovering,” authorities announced Monday, adding that he was isolated and treated with an antiviral drug used for influenza.
A first case was discovered in the country in 2022, in Colorado, but it was an infection by poultry. Experts are concerned about the growing number of mammals infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and its potential for spread between mammals, even though cases in humans are very rare.
Texas authorities added that infection of cattle does not present concerns for milk marketing, because dairies are required to destroy milk from sick cows. Pasteurization also kills viruses. They also said they were working to help affected dairies limit exposure of their employees and monitor and test those working with infected livestock.