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A third person in the U.S. has tested positive for H5 bird flu linked to an outbreak in dairy cattle, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday. This is the second human case reported in the state and the fourth in the US.
In addition to the eye symptoms seen in previous HIV infections this season, the farm worker reported coughing and other respiratory symptoms that are typical of human influenza infections, the health department said.
“This individual had respiratory symptoms, including cough, congestion, sore throat and watery eyes,” Dr. Nirav Shah, deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement on Thursday.
“What the respiratory symptoms tell us more than anything else is that this virus, like many viruses, can come in more than one way and for that reason we should be vigilant and not worried,” he said.
Experts say that the increase in respiratory symptoms does not mean that the virus is more dangerous or that it can easily be transmitted from person to person. Rather, the individual may not develop pulmonary symptoms as a result of the route of infection, perhaps by inhaling contaminated air in a milking parlor rather than rubbing their eyes with contaminated hands.
“In the first case in Michigan, eye symptoms occurred after direct contact with contaminated milk in the eye. In this case, the respiratory symptoms occurred after direct exposure to an infected cow,” said Dr. Natasha Baghdasarian, chief medical officer of Michigan Medicine, in a news release. “Neither individual was wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE). This tells us that direct exposure to infected animals poses a risk to humans and PPE is an important tool to prevent spread among dairy and poultry workers.
About 220 people in Michigan are being monitored for possible exposure to the virus, Shah said.
Michigan, with the state The highest number Dairy herds that have been reported infected have begun testing blood to determine how many workers may have HIV antibodies, which indicate past infections or exposures.
The CDC agrees that the risk to the general population is low. But this case presents a higher risk for people who work with infected animals.
CDC He advised That dairy farmers wear personal protective equipment to reduce their risk. The US Department of Agriculture has provided funding to farms with infected animals to protect their workers.
“Previously, in the first two cases, we focused on the importance of eye protection in case of conjunctivitis, but this case highlights the importance of protective equipment, such as masks and other protective equipment for dairy workers, especially those who work with them. Cows were injured,” said Shah.
Research is ongoing into how infections are transmitted by cows and from cows to people who work with them.
This is the third known human infection since highly pathogenic avian influenza, which is currently infecting dairy cattle in the United States. Although none of the three men met, they all worked with cattle, which is a condition that can be transmitted from cows to humans. The other two cases are eye infections or conjunctivitis. A recent employee had some mild eye symptoms but was not diagnosed with conjunctivitis.
The person had direct contact with infected cattle and notified local health authorities that they were feeling ill. Their symptoms are described as mild.
The patient is given an antiviral drug called oseltamivir, the same substance as Tamiflu, and is isolated at home. Their family members did not show any symptoms, but they were given antiviral drugs as a precaution. None of the other workers at the dairy farm have become ill and are being monitored, the CDC said.
“Given the high level of interaction between humans and dairy cows, as well as contaminated milking equipment, it is not surprising that there are many human infections,” said Dr. Seema Lakdawala, an infectious disease expert at Emory University. It is transmitted in milk barns.
“The more the virus can replicate in humans, the more likely the virus is to adapt to humans and acquire the molecular characteristics to reproduce in the respiratory tract,” Lakdawala said.
Flu viruses are classified by two proteins on their outer envelopes: the H, or hemagglutinin, protein and the N, neuraminidase, protein. CDC testing confirmed that this third person was infected with the flu virus with the H5 protein, and the agency will run additional tests to confirm that the virus is of the N1 strain, as suspected. He expects those results in the next few days.
The CDC confirmed Wednesday night that the man had H5 influenza and forwarded the results to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that 4.8 million HIV cases are stored in a strategic national stockpile. The bulk supplies are packaged into multi-size bottles for easy dispensing and dispensing.
Officials said Thursday that the vaccine must pass certain regulatory measures before it can be administered. He also said there are currently no plans to offer or recommend the dose to any group of people.
The process of filling and repackaging the vaccines will take at least two months, officials said in a news release.
Meanwhile, the Michigan Department of Health is recommending that people who work in poultry or dairy farms get a seasonal flu shot.
The department said, “It does not prevent infection with avian influenza viruses, but it can reduce the risk of contact with avian and flu viruses.”