Four poultry workers in Colorado have tested positive for avian influenza, aka bird flu, amid an ongoing outbreak of the virus in the United States. A total of eight people in the U.S.
have contracted bird flu since the start of the year. On Sunday, health officials confirmed four new human cases of A (H5N1) linked to a multi-state outbreak among poultry and dairy cows, according to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A fifth poultry worker in Colorado has tested presumptive positive and is awaiting confirmation from the CDC. All of the patients experienced mild illness, including pink eye and respiratory symptoms, and none were hospitalized, according to the .
The news comes less than two weeks after officials announced a dairy worker in Colorado had tested positive for bird flu. Since March, H5N1 avian influenza has spread to over 150 dairy cattle herds in 12 U.S.
states, . In addition to the five human cases confirmed in Colorado, a dairy worker in Texas and two in Michigan have also tested positive for H5N1. Last month, announced a person in Mexico died after becoming infected with avian influenza A (H5N2), which was the first laboratory-confirmed human case of H5N2 reported globally.
Additionally, a child in Australia was recently infected with bird flu. is a disease caused by infection with avian influenza A viruses, which occur naturally among wild aquatic birds and circulate among poultry, TODAY.com previously reported.
Occasionally, bird flu viruses .