CDC: Close contact of Missouri bird flu case had symptoms but was not tested
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Key takeaways:
- A household contact developed symptoms but was not a tested for H5, and a health care worker with symptoms tested negative.
- The CDC said there is no evidence of person-to-person spread of bird flu.
A household contact of a person in Missouri confirmed to be infected with H5 avian influenza began exhibiting symptoms of infection on the same day but was not tested for the virus, the CDC said.
Both people have recovered from their illness, according to the CDC, which said the risk to the public from H5 is still low.
“The simultaneous development of symptoms does not support person-to-person spread but suggests a common exposure,” the agency said of the cases.
The initial case was reported in a person who was hospitalized because of other underlying medical conditions and had not been around birds or dairy cows, which have been at the center of an ongoing H5N1 outbreak in the United States.
The person was not severely ill and was treated with influenza antiviral medications before being discharged, the CDC reported. In addition to the household contact, a health care worker who had close contact with the initial case also developed mild symptoms but tested negative for influenza, the CDC reported, reiterating that “there is no epidemiologic evidence to support person-to-person transmission of H5 at this time.”
"Based on available data, CDC's current assessment is that the risk to the general public from H5N1 remains low,” the agency told Healio. “CDC's recommendations related to H5 virus have not changed at this time. As always, circumstances may change quickly as more information is learned."
The CDC said it has attempted to sequence the full genome of the virus from the Missouri case, but because of low amounts of genetic material in the clinical specimen, limited data were produced by sequencing viral RNA samples.
“The available gene sequences are all closely related to U.S. dairy cow viruses, and similar sequences have been found in birds and other animals around dairy farms, raw milk and poultry,” the CDC said.
The H5N1 outbreak has affected more than 100 million birds and more than 200 dairy herds in the U.S. Since April, there have 14 confirmed cases of H5 in humans — four after exposure to dairy cows, nine after exposure to poultry, and the case in Missouri, according to the CDC.
Overall, the agency reported that more than 4,800 people have been monitored because they were exposed to infected animals, and roughly 240 have developed influenza-like symptoms.
Testing of H5N1 virus specimens determined they were susceptible to influenza antivirals, including oseltamivir, zanamivir, peramivir and baloxavir, the agency said.
The U.S. in July awarded $176 million to Moderna to develop messenger RNA pandemic influenza vaccines, and the CDC has also started awarding contracts to bolster the U.S. public health response by expanding testing capacity and upgrading data reporting methods for new emerging health threats.
“CDC continues to support states that are monitoring people with exposure to cows, birds or other domestic or wild animals infected, or potentially infected, with avian influenza viruses,” the agency said in the update.
References:
- CDC. Avian influenza (bird flu): CDC a(H5N1) bird flu response update September 13, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/spotlights/h5n1-response-09132024.html. Published Sept. 13, 2024. Accessed Sept. 17, 2024.
- CDC. Avian influenza (bird flu): H5 bird flu: Current situation. https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html. Updated Sept. 16, 2024. Accessed Sept. 17, 2024.
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