CDC confirms new bird flu cases in Colorado poultry workers
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Key takeaways:
- The newly reported infections bring the total number of human H5N1 bird flu cases in the U.S. to nine this year.
- The poultry workers were culling birds at a farm experiencing a bird flu outbreak.
The CDC said it has confirmed four new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Colorado poultry workers and is aware of a fifth presumptive-positive case.
Five new cases would bring the total to nine human cases of influenza A(H5N1) identified in the United States this year — five in poultry workers and four in dairy workers. The cases have been reported in three states — Colorado, Michigan and Texas — and five have been confirmed in July.
“These workers reported symptoms after being exposed to H5N1 virus-infected poultry,” the CDC said in a press release announcing the new cases in Colorado. “All workers who tested positive reported mild illness.”
According to the CDC, the five workers were participating in poultry depopulation at a facility experiencing an H5N1 outbreak and are the only U.S. cases reported in poultry workers since 2022, when the first case in a poultry worker was identified, also in Colorado.
H5N1 has affected nearly 100 million wild birds, commercial poultry and backyard flocks in all 50 states, in addition to 151 dairy herds in 12 states, according to the CDC.
The CDC said the risk for H5N1 to the public remains low, and that person-to-person transmission of the virus has not been reported or confirmed. According to the agency, the four poultry workers experienced “more typical flu symptoms of fever, chills, coughing and sore throat/runny nose,” along with conjunctivitis, which has been reported as the only symptom in some cases.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said it sent three of the five workers’ samples to the CDC on July 12, with the fourth case confirmed by the CDC the same day. The fifth worker’s sample was sent to the CDC on July 13.
“The workers were culling poultry at a farm in northeast Colorado,” the department said in a statement. “State epidemiologists suspect the poultry workers’ cases are a result of working directly with infected poultry.”
It may be useful, but it is also hard to vaccinate entire flocks of bird or herds of cows against H5N1, an expert previously told Healio — and depopulating affected birds has been deemed more effective, though the practice may have economic consequences.
HHS gave Moderna $176 million earlier this month to continue development on messenger RNA pandemic influenza vaccine candidates the company has in phase 1/2 trials.
References:
- CDC confirms human cases of H5 bird flu among Colorado poultry workers. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/p-0715-confirm-h5.html. Published July 14, 2024. Accessed July 15, 2024.
- CDC. H5N1 bird flu: Current situation. https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html. Updated July 12, 2024. Accessed July 15, 2024.
- CDC. CDC A(H5N1) bird flu response update, July 12, 2024. Published July 12, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/spotlights/h5n1-response-07122024.html. Accessed July 15, 2024.
- Health officials confirm human cases of avian flu in Colorado poultry workers. https://cdphe.colorado.gov/press-release/health-officials-confirm-human-cases-of-avian-flu-in-colorado-poultry-workers. Published July 14, 2024. Accessed July 15, 2024.
- USDA. HPAI confirmed cases in livestock. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock. Updated July 15, 2024. Accessed July 15, 2024.
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