THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- A second case of bird flu has been detected in another dairy worker, this time in Michigan, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday.
The was reported in a dairy worker in Texas in early April. Officials said the Michigan individual, who only experienced mild symptoms, contracted the H5N1 virus after being exposed to infected livestock, the U.S.
Centers of Disease Control and Prevention said in a . "While a nasal swab from the person tested negative for influenza in Michigan, an eye swab from the patient was shipped to CDC and tested positive for influenza A[H5] virus, indicating an eye infection," the agency said. As in the Texas case, the patient only reported eye symptoms.
"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 CDC added. "Given the high levels of A[H5N1] virus in raw milk from infected cows, and the extent of the spread of this virus in dairy cows, similar additional human cases could be identified," the agency added. Still, this latest case doesn't suggest that bird flu is widespread in people, officials said, adding that the risk to the general public remains low.
“This virus is being closely monitored, and we have not seen signs of sustained human-to-human transmission at this point,” Michiga.
