The CDC has confirmed a second human case of the highly contagious bird flu virus linked to an outbreak in dairy cows. Health officials say a Michigan farmworker recovered after mild symptoms, and likely contracted the virus from infected livestock. @perezreports has more. pic.twitter.com/X3K71IiIeG
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) May 23, 2024
Fox News reports:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Wednesday that a second H5N1 bird flu case has been identified by officials.
A 55-year-old Michigan dairy worker became ill after working with H5N1-infected cattle, the CDC said in a press release. While an upper respiratory tract sample tested negative, a specimen from his eye confirmed the H5N1 bird flu infection.
A Texas farm worker was diagnosed with the disease in March. Both the Michigan and Texas patients suffered from conjunctivitis, or pink eye. Neither showed signs of a respiratory infection.
“Conjunctivitis (eye infection) has been associated with previous human infections with avian influenza A viruses and is part of the current CDC case definition for A(H5N1) surveillance,” the CDC explained in a Wednesday press release.
“While it’s not known exactly how eye infections result from avian influenza exposures, it may be from contamination of the eye(s), potentially with a splash of contaminated fluid, or touching the eye(s) with something contaminated with A(H5N1) virus, such as a hand.”
The Texas case marked the first human case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States. Globally, it was the first time a human caught H5 bird flu from a cow.
ADVERTISEMENTThe United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has found that at least 49 dairy herds across nine states have been exposed to H5N1. On Wednesday, the CDC maintained that the health risk that H5N1 bird flu poses to humans is still low.
“Based on the information available, this infection does not change CDC’s current H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public, which the agency considers to be low.,” the CDC said.
Okay, I’m gonna need you to hold one of those milk cartons and look at it very seriously.
No, more serious. Okay that’ll work.
Hey you, in the blue disposable isolation gown.
Don’t you have anything scarier to wear than that?
Maybe a hazmat suit with a helmet? You know, like in the first Back to the Future movie?
No? Fine, this’ll work. Just look concerned. Really sell it. There you go.
And now Australia is also dealing with ‘bird flu’ with their first case.
What are the chances?
⚠️🌏🇳🇿Breaking Australia has seen its first case of H5N1 avian bird flu that has jumped to a human CDC has issued strict lockdowns.
Could this be disease, X that they’ve been talking about?👎 pic.twitter.com/TX9SBUVh3y
— Todd Paron🇺🇸🇬🇷🎧👽 (@tparon) May 22, 2024
Imagine actually believing this.
Some are starting to…
🚨BIRD FLU ALERT🚨
– CDC said more than 260 people have been monitored for H5N1 symptoms following exposure to infected animals
– 33 had flulike symptoms
That’s way more than the ‘only’ 1 case of conjunctivitis they keep touting 🤯 https://t.co/sgXABrINXS
— Dr. Sally Winterhorn 💙😷☕️ (@DrWinterhorn) May 19, 2024
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