Human Bird Flu Update as Map Shows States With Cases

Arizona has become the eighth state to detect cases of H5 bird flu in humans this year.

Arizona’s Department of Health Services said in a press release on Friday that two workers were sickened with the avian flu after coming into contact with infected poultry in Pinal County.

The unnamed workers experienced only “mild symptoms,” received treatment and had recovered when their illnesses were announced, while “the risk to the general public from H5 remains low,” according to the release.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said confirmed human bird flu cases were previously detected in seven states: California, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

Arizona health officials said the virus was recently detected in birds at a commercial poultry farm in Pinal County and in a backyard flock in Maricopa County.

Newsweek reached out for comment from the CDC via email on Friday evening.

With the addition of the Arizona cases, the total number of U.S. human bird flu cases this year is at least 60. The CDC currently lists 58 confirmed cases, with the Arizona cases apparently being two of six additional “probable” cases.

No human-to-human transmissions of current bird flu have been detected domestically, and the illness occurs very rarely in people throughout the world.

The U.S. cases have largely been detected in people who work with poultry or on dairy farms. A significant number of dairy cows have contracted the virus, often after direct contact with infected animals or the bodies of animals that died from infection.

“Right now, the H5N1 bird flu situation remains primarily an animal health issue,” the CDC’s website says. “However, CDC is watching this situation closely and taking routine preparedness and prevention measures in case this virus changes to pose a greater human health risk.”

The CDC recommends wearing personal protective equipment like gloves, face masks and safety goggles for those “working directly or closely with sick or dead animals, animal feces, litter, raw milk, and other materials that might have the virus.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said on Friday that a federal order requiring raw milk samples to be tested for the virus had been issued as part of an effort to “facilitate comprehensive H5N1 surveillance of the nation’s milk supply and dairy herds.”

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement: “Since the first [bird flu] detection in livestock, USDA has collaborated with our federal, state and industry partners to swiftly and diligently identify affected herds and respond accordingly. This new milk testing strategy will build on those steps to date and will provide a roadmap for states to protect the health of their dairy herds.”

He continued: “This will give farmers and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus’ spread nationwide.”