Fourth human case of bird flu connected to dairy cattle outbreak identified in the US

A fourth person in the United States has tested positive for H5 bird flu in connection to an ongoing outbreak among dairy cattle across the country.

A fourth person in the United States has tested positive for H5 bird flu in connection to an ongoing outbreak among dairy cattle across the country. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced Wednesday that it has identified the state’s first human case of H5 avian influenza associated with the multistate outbreak of the virus in dairy cattle. This case is the fourth identified nationally in connection to the outbreak; two other human cases have been reported in Michigan and one in Texas. More than a quarter of dairy herds in Colorado have reported cases of bird flu, according to data from the state health department. As of Wednesday, federal data shows that seven states have confirmed cases in the past 30 days, and 40% of them are in Colorado — more than any other state. The infected person in Colorado had mild symptoms, reporting only conjunctivitis, or pink eye, as a symptom, according to state health officials. He worked at a dairy farm in northeast Colorado and had direct exposure to dairy cattle infected with avian flu. After testing positive, the man was treated immediately with the antiviral medication oseltamivir, and he has recovered, according to the state health department. “The risk to most people remains low. Avian flu viruses are currently spreading among animals, but they are not adapted to spread from person to person. Right now, the most important thing to know is that people who have regular exposure to infected animals are at increased risk of infection and should take precautions when they have contact with sick animals,” Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist at the CDPHE, said in Wednesday’s announcement. The last human case of H5N1 in Colorado was in 2022 in a person who was exposed to infected poultry.