The first severe case of bird flu in a human in the US has been confirmed by the CDC
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A study of bird flu in southwest Louisiana with the U.S. Department of Health and Tropical Tropical Disease (ASHF) e-Newton
During a routine survey of flu patients in southwest Louisiana, a case was detected and sent to the CDC for confirmation. There’s no indication the person spread bird flu to others, and the case doesn’t change the CDC’s assessment that the risk to the general public remains low.
This is different from the B3.13 type, which has been detected in dairy cows, some poultry outbreaks, and in sporadic human cases in multiple states. CDC scientists are analyzing the Louisiana patient’s viral sample. If a new strain of the virus were to be discovered, it could signal an increase in the ability of humans to be transmitted from one person to another.
Still, the hospitalization is a reminder that bird flu has a well-established history of leading to severe illness and death over the past 20 years in other countries, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis with the CDC, told reporters on Wednesday during a press call.
The agency is looking for any changes in the virus that might mean it’s evolving to cause more severe disease, according to Daskalakis.
Scientists were concerned that the case in British Columbia exhibited certain mutations that could spell trouble, although more research was needed to understand the exact implications.
The reporters were referred to Louisiana officials to learn more about how the person contracted the virus and their symptoms.
“No case of infectious diseases, nor any case of exposure to animal products have resulted in human to human transmission,” said Daskalakis.
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