Another human case of bird flu linked to sick dairy cows has been detected in Michigan, marking the third farmworker diagnosed with the illness in the United States since March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. None of the cases are connected. This is the second farmworker in Michigan in a week to be diagnosed with the illness.
And a dairy worker in Texas was diagnosed in March. In those cases, the patients' only sign of illness was a pink eye. This latest case is different, however, because the patient also had a cough that accompanied eye symptoms.
The person was given Tamiflu and was reportedly recovering. All of the farmworkers at this latest Michigan dairy are being monitored for symptoms. The CDC recommended that anyone who comes into contact with a sick cow watch for symptoms for 10 days.
There is no evidence that the virus, an A strain of influenza called H5N1, is spreading from person to person, the CDC said. The infected workers are from different farms and had direct contact with sick cows. As many as 67 herds in nine states have been affected, according to the U.
S. Agriculture Department. In addition to herds in Michigan, dairy cattle in Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas have also tested positive for bird flu.
“Given the extent of the spread of this virus in dairy cows, additional human cases in people with higher risk exposures would not be surprising,” the CDC said in a press re.