A milk worker in Nevada, who was infected with a new kind of bird flu, which differs from the version that has been spreading in US herds since last year, said on Monday.
The disease was considered mild. The main symptom of the person was the rush of eye and stimulation, similar to most bird flu, which are connected to dairy cows. The person was not admitted to the hospital and has recovered in accordance with the US centers for the control and prevention of diseases (CDC).
The recent burden had already been seen in more than a dozen poultry, but this is the first time that an infection was attributed to a cow. Nevada’s milk worker was exposed on a farm in Churchill County in the western central part of the state, said state health officers.
CDC officers said there is no evidence that the virus has spread from this person to other people. The agency continues to say that the virus is a low risk to the general public.
The bird flu, which is currently spreading by animals and some people, is known as H5N1 -Influenza of Type A. But there are different tribes.
California has explained an emergency on the H1N5 bird flu because the virus spreads further in dairy herds. While cases are still rare in humans, experts ask those who work with birds and cattle.
A version, which is known as B3.13, was confirmed in March after they spread to cattle at the end of 2023, scientists said. It infected 962 herds of cattle in 16 states, the vast majority of them in California.
The newer version, known as D1.1, was confirmed on January 31 in Nevada cattle. It was found in milk that was collected as part of a surveillance program started in December.
New case raises questions
This discovery meant at least twice different forms of the virus, which spread at least twice from wild birds into cattle. Experts said it raised questions about a broader spread and the difficulty of controlling infections in animals and people who work with them.
According to CDC data, at least 68 people in the USA were infected with bird flu last year. All, except for a small handful, worked closely with cows or poultry.
The B3.13 version catch the most. The CDC previously said that the D1.1 version was only seen in cases in Louisiana and Washington State. On Monday, however, the agency announced that the available data will indicate D1.1 last year, probably a total of 15 people in five states – Iowa, Louisiana, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin -, all of which are connected to poultry.
The D1.1 version of the virus was associated with the first US death, which was bound in Canada with bird flu and a serious illness. A person in Louisiana died in January after they had developed severe breath symptoms after contacting wild and back yard birds. In British Columbia, a youthful girl was taken to the hospital for weeks with a virus that was due to poultry.
While the risk of the general public is low, the CDC is a greater threat to people with a close or longer contact with infected cows, birds or other animals. These people are encouraged to wear protective equipment and take other precautions.
