Texan Contracts Bird Flu From Infected Cattle [VIDEO]

Austin’s NBC affiliate reports:

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported Monday a human case of avian influenza A(H5N1), also known as bird flu, in the state. According to a press release from the department, the person had direct contact with dairy cattle presumed to be infected with avian influenza.

DSHS did not specify where the person lives or where they contracted the virus, however, officials last week confirmed an illness that impacted dairies in the Texas Panhandle was bird flu.

DSHS has issued a health alert asking health care providers around affected dairies to be vigilant for possible human cases and is providing testing and treatment recommendations.

The Washington Post reports:

The virus was detected in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas last week and has since spread to additional herds in at least five states, adding evidence that the virus may be spreading cow-to-cow.

The strain has been confirmed in Michigan, and presumptive positive tests have also been reported from Idaho and New Mexico, federal officials said Friday.

Epidemiologists have been worried about the growing number of mammals infected by highly pathogenic avian influenza — commonly known as HPAI — around the world. Scientists are concerned that the virus may have mutated in ways that could allow it to better infect people.

Breaking news: A person in Texas is being treated for bird flu, the second human case of an illness caused by a highly virulent virus that has rampaged through sickened dairy cows in five states in recent weeks, federal and state officials said Monday. https://t.co/DF0R2ysSZI

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 1, 2024