Suspected human bird flu case may be 1st in US in 9 months

A Washington authorities nonmigratory has preliminarily tested affirmative for vertebrate flu, marking the archetypal quality lawsuit successful the U.S. successful 9 months.

The Washington State Department of Health said successful a press release that the patient, who is an older big with underlying wellness conditions, developed symptoms including precocious fever, disorder and respiratory distress and was hospitalized successful aboriginal November.

The patient, who lives successful Grays Habor County -- successful the northeastern portion of the authorities -- is presently receiving attraction astatine a infirmary successful King County.

No different identifiable accusation astir the diligent was made disposable including name, property oregon sex.

Washington State Public Health Laboratories is moving confirmatory investigating to verify the results, according to WSDOH. If confirmed, it would beryllium the archetypal quality lawsuit successful the authorities and the archetypal reported successful the U.S. since February.

Colorized transmission electron micrograph of avian influenza A H5N1 microorganism particles.

NIH-NIAID/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

An probe is underway to find however the diligent became infected, including determining if they came into interaction with chaotic oregon home birds. Public wellness officials are besides contacting anyone the diligent whitethorn person been successful adjacent contact.

Health officials accidental determination is presently nary hazard to the nationalist and that WSDOH is moving with section wellness departments and wellness attraction facilities "to enactment the investigation."

"Two things for the nationalist truly to recognize astir this is that the hazard to the wide nationalist is precise debased and we've ne'er had human-to-human transmission," authorities epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist said successful a media briefing connected Thursday. "We don't privation to beryllium the first, obviously, and we're going to beryllium cautious and marque definite that we're not missing that."

Bird flu, besides known arsenic avian influenza, has been contiguous successful birds for decades, but successful caller years it has started to infect much and much mammals.

In aboriginal March 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a vertebrate flu strain that had sickened millions of birds crossed the U.S. was identified successful respective mammals this year.

A fewer weeks later, national and authorities nationalist wellness officials said they were investigating an unwellness among chiefly older dairy cows successful Kansas, New Mexico and Texas. Shortly after, the archetypal vertebrate flu corruption successful a quality successful the U.S. was reported successful a Texas dairy worker.

Since then, determination person been astatine slightest 70 confirmed cases among humans successful the U.S., not counting the Washington authorities patient, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Most quality cases person occurred aft coming into interaction with infected cattle, infected poultry farms oregon different culling operations.

The bulk of cases person been mild -- with symptoms specified arsenic reddish eyes and fever -- but a fewer person resulted successful much terrible symptoms. In January, the archetypal vertebrate flu decease was confirmed among an older diligent with underlying conditions  

The CDC and different nationalist wellness officials accidental determination is presently nary grounds of human-to-human transmission and the hazard to the wide nationalist is low.