CDC confirms pediatric case of bird flu in California, first in US child
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Key takeaways:
- The child had mild symptoms, was treated with antivirals and is recovering at home.
- Household members tested negative, and there is no evidence of person-to-person spread.
The CDC on Friday confirmed that a child in California is the first known pediatric case of H5N1 avian influenza in the United States.
It was the second human bird flu case identified through national surveillance and the 55th reported U.S. case overall, according to the agency.
“It’s natural for people to be concerned, and we want to reinforce for parents, caregivers and families that based on the information and data that we have, we don’t think the child was infectious — and no human-to-human spread of bird flu has been documented in any country for more than 15 years,” Tomás J. Aragón, MD, DrPH, director of the California Department of Public Health and state public health officer, said in a press release issued earlier this week.
According to CDC and California public health officials, a child experiencing mild influenza symptoms in Alameda County tested positive for H5N1, was treated with antivirals and is recovering at home. The positive test showed low levels of H5N1 viral material and was also positive for other common respiratory viruses, according to officials.
Repeat H5N1 tests were negative 4 days after the positive test, which may indicate other viruses were responsible for the child’s mild cold symptoms, officials said.
All household members tested negative for H5N1, but some were positive for the same additional respiratory viruses as the child and reported having symptoms. CDC and state health officials are conducting additional contact tracing but neither has detected evidence of person-to-person spread.
“There is currently no evidence of person-to-person spread of H5N1 bird flu from this child to others,” the CDC said in a press release. “To date, there has been no person-to-person spread associated with any of the bird flu cases reported in the United States.”
As of Nov. 22, there have been 55 confirmed human cases of bird flu in seven states, with 32 linked to cattle herds, 21 linked to poultry flocks and 2 with unknown sources, including the pediatric case in California, according to the CDC.
Among the 55 cases, two have been detected via national influenza surveillance, whereas the other 53 were detected through targeted H5 surveillance.
More than 109 million wild, poultry and backyard bird flocks in 49 states and 612 dairy herds in 15 states have been affected by H5N1 bird flu this year, according to the CDC.
Although CDC officials have said that bird flu infections are likely going undetected among farm workers, the agency has maintained that the risk to the general public remains low, specifically because there has been no evidence of person-to-person transmission.
“Limited and sporadic human infections with avian influenza H5N1 virus, where animal exposure was not identified, are very uncommon but have occurred, primarily in countries other than the United States,” the CDC said in the release. “These instances underscore the importance of ongoing surveillance and investigation at the local, state and federal levels.”
References:
- CDC. Avian influenza (bird flu): H5 bird flu: Current situation. https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html. Updated Nov. 22, 2024. Accessed Nov. 22, 2024.
- CDC confirms H5N1 bird flu infection in a child in California. Published Nov. 22, 2024. Accessed Nov. 22, 2024.
- State reports single, possible case of bird flu virus in child with mild symptoms. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR24-037.aspx. Published Nov. 19, 2024. Accessed Nov. 22, 2024.
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