Recently, a person in Texas has been diagnosed with bird flu, which was recently found in dairy cows. The patient is currently receiving treatment with an antiviral drug and their only symptom so far is eye redness. Health officials believe that the person had come into contact with infected cows, but the risk to the public is considered low.
In 2022, a prison inmate in Colorado contracted the virus while working at a poultry farm and recovered. However, this is only the second time a person in the US has been diagnosed with the Type A H5N1 virus. This development is concerning as cases of bird flu have been reported in dairy cows in Texas, Kansas, and Michigan since 2020. Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC outbreak investigator, described this as an unexpected and problematic development.
Bird flu was first identified as a threat to humans during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong and has since caused over 460 deaths worldwide. The virus has not yet mutated to spread easily among humans, but scientists remain vigilant. The identity of the newly infected person in Texas remains unknown and their exact circumstances of contact with infected cows are not known at this time. The AP Health and Science Department is solely responsible for the content of this report.
