Health officials on Wednesday reported the second case of bird flu in the United States, following the first case reported last month in Texas.
ABC News, citing Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) health officials, reported that the infected man was a Michigan farm worker who was regularly exposed to avian influenza that infected livestock. Ta.
Dairy workers in Michigan reported symptoms of avian flu to local health officials, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US national public health agency, was then monitoring them to see if they had come into contact with infected cows.
The farm worker has since recovered, MDHHS announced.
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“Two samples were collected from the patient. An upper respiratory tract sample taken from the worker's nose at the state health department laboratory tested negative for influenza virus,” ANI reported citing a press release from the US Public Health Service.
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The CDC press release added, “The eye specimen was sent to CDC for testing because it is one of the few laboratories with CDC A(H5) testing available. The specimen was received by CDC and testing confirmed A(H5) virus infection.”
In addition, the CDC retested the infected farm worker's nasal specimen and reported it to be negative for influenza. It is worth noting that the designation of influenza virus neuraminidase (subtype N) is pending with gene sequence analysis underway at the CDC.
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The first human cases of avian flu in the United States were reported in April. The case was reported in Texas and was also linked to cattle, ABC News reported. Infected people who worked directly with sick cattle reported their only symptom as being bloodshot eyes.
So far, only three cases of bird flu have been reported across the United States, including the most recent case in Michigan. According to MDHHS and the CDC, the risk of contracting avian influenza remains low.
“Michigan has led a rapid public health response, and since influenza A (H5N1) was detected in Michigan's poultry and dairy herds, the We are following the situation closely.”
(ANI input available)
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