The US public is being assured that there is no need for concern as the risk of human-to-human transmission is extremely low.
In both cases of human infection, the symptoms were mild. In the latest case the person suffered from conjunctivitis (pink eye), which is being treated. The farm worker had been in contact with cows which were presumably positive with the H5N1 bird flu strain.
Bird flu, which is spread by wild birds, has now been detected in cows in five US states.
Reuters reports that the H5N1 bird flu strain has been infecting wild birds and poultry flocks globally for more than two years, also killing several mammal species that likely contracted the virus from consuming sick or dead birds.
“Some outbreaks of avian influenza have caused serious or fatal infections among people who have close contact with wild birds or poultry. Currently, H5N1 is not capable of spreading easily among humans, but scientists have been on alert for changes that could facilitate human spread and spark a pandemic,” the news agency reported.
An official with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said for most people who are not exposed to infected animals, the risk is very low.
The risk of contaminated milk reaching consumers is of “no concern” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture because pasteurization kills viruses and milk from sick cows is not being sold.
