Human risk of contracting bird flu is very low, says the CDC
Those most at risk of contracting bird flu are people in close contact with infected animals, such as dairy or poultry workers.
A Louisiana patient who had been hospitalized with bird flu has died of the disease, the Louisiana Department of Public Health reported Monday.
The patient, the first in the U.S. to die from bird flu, also known as H5N1, was over 65 and reported to have underlying medical conditions.
The person became ill after contact with a combination of a backyard flock and wild birds, the health department said in a news release. The department declined to release any more information about the patient to protect their privacy.
No one else appears to have been infected with bird flu, either from birds or from the sick patient, in Louisiana, the department said.
While the current public health risk for the general public remains low, people who work with birds, poultry or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk. To avoid exposure, avoid direct contact with wild birds and other potentially infected animals.
Bird flu has been traveling around the world since 1997. It was largely confined to wild birds until recent years.
It has infected more than 60 people in the U.S. this year, though most have had mild disease, typically the red eyes of conjunctivitis. The Louisiana patient was the first to suffer severe disease, likely because of their age and other health conditions.
The patient was also infected with a flu strain from wild birds, not the one circulating in dairy cows and most poultry farms, officials said last month. It’s not clear if that strain is more dangerous or if the route of transmission made the infection more serious. Most of the others were farm workers, who were likely infected when they touched their eyes after touching infected animals.
Around the world, bird flu has killed about half of the people known to have been infected.
If you believe you may have been exposed to bird flu either from wild birds or infected livestock, be on the lookout for respiratory symptoms or the red eyes charactistic of conjunctivitis, the Louisiana Department of Public Health advises. If you develop these symptoms within 10 days, call your healthcare provider to say that you have been in contact with sick animals and are worried you might have bird flu. This will help them provide advice on testing and treatment. Stay home and away from others while you have symptoms.
The Louisiana Department of Public Health recommends the following:
- Do not touch sick or dead animals or their droppings and do not bring sick wild animals into your home.
- Keep your pets away from sick or dead animals and their feces.
- Do not eat uncooked or undercooked food. Cook poultry, eggs and other animal products to the proper temperature and prevent cross-contamination between raw and cooked food.
- Avoid uncooked food products such as unpasteurized raw milk or cheeses from animals that have a suspected or confirmed infection.
- If you work on poultry or dairy farms, talk to your provider about getting your seasonal flu vaccination. It will not prevent infection with avian influenza viruses, but it can reduce the risk of coinfection with avian and flu viruses.
- Report dead or sick birds or animals to the USDA toll-free at 1-866-536-7593.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
