Should we be worried about an avian flu outbreak in the Atlantic? A person in the United States has tested positive for bird flu after being infected by a dairy cow, authorities announced Monday. However, he clarified that this infection does not change his assessment of the risk to the American population, which is considered “low”.
This is the second case of testing positive for bird flu in the country after flocks sickened by the virus in Texas, Kansas and several other states in the past week.
Treatment with antiviral medication
“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.
The first case in the country was found in Colorado in 2022, but it was an infection from poultry. Experts are concerned about the increasing 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 cattle infections are not a concern for milk marketing, as dairies are required to destroy milk from sick cows. Pasteurization also kills viruses. They also said they are working to help affected dairies limit exposure of their employees and monitor and test people working with infected livestock.
