The California Division of Public Well being (CDPH) right now introduced two extra presumptive H5 avian flu positives in dairy employees, which if confirmed by the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), would elevate the state’s whole to 5 over the previous few weeks.
The 2 new doable instances have been reported from the Central Valley, and up to now there aren’t any recognized hyperlinks among the many human instances, suggesting that solely animal-to-human transmission is going on within the state, the CDPH mentioned in a press release.
Additionally, the group added that the CDC has confirmed its just lately reported third case, which was present in state testing, with the pattern forwarded to the CDC.
Newest affected person had gentle signs, together with eye redness
“All instances up to now have skilled gentle signs, together with eye redness or discharge (conjunctivitis). Not one of the people has been hospitalized,” the CDPH mentioned.
At a briefing final week, federal well being officers counseled California for actively monitoring employees and shortly figuring out and following up on folks with signs.
If the CDC confirms that state’s two newest instances, the nationwide whole would rise to 19 because the first of the 12 months. Apart from a affected person in Missouri, all infections have been linked to contact with sick cows or poultry.
H5N1 strikes 13 extra California dairy farms
The US Division of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Well being Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed 13 extra H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in California’s dairy cows, bringing the state’s whole since late August to 96.
The primary outbreak within the state was reported in September, and the speedy tempo of unfold in California—the nation’s largest dairy producer—has already made it the hardest-hit state.
The brand new outbreaks push the nationwide whole to 296 throughout 14 states.
Wild hen optimistic from outbreak space
Because the investigation continues into how the virus is spreading amongst California’s farms, current sampling from harvested wild birds in one of many affected Central Valley counties has turned up optimistic H5N1 findings.
In line with the APHIS wild hen affirmation record, the 5 birds that examined optimistic in Tulare County have been sampled between September 17 and 21. Species included starlings, blackbirds, and a dove.
In different developments, USDA APHIS confirmed another H5N1 outbreak in poultry, which entails a location in Miami-Dade County that has 70 birds. The report didn’t notice the kind of facility that housed the birds, however lots of the of the state’s current outbreaks in Miami-Dade concerned stay hen markets.
