A dairy farm worker in Colorado has been infected with H5N1 bird flu, becoming the fourth human case in the outbreak so far.
The patient, whose name was not released, only had symptoms in the eye (such as redness or swelling) and has since recovered from the infection.
They were treated with oseltamivir, an antiviral used to treat flu infections and which has also been used in previous cases.
In disclosing the case in a statement released today, the CDC said it is not changing its assessment that the risk of bird flu to the public is low.
It is the fourth human case of bird flu to be diagnosed in the United States this year amid an outbreak of the virus in dairy cows, after one case was detected in Texas in April and two cases in Michigan diagnosed in May.
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The farmer worked with dairy cattle that had been confirmed to be infected with H5N1, and it is likely that the individual had contracted the disease on the farm.
CDC scientists confirmed the diagnosis after receiving samples from state labs in Colorado, where testing for common viruses was “inconclusive.”
It has already been confirmed that the patient is infected with an H5 virus, and it is expected that in the coming days it will be confirmed that it is H5N1 (or bird flu).
Additional tests have also been ordered on the samples to check for any worrying genetic changes.
The CDC said in a statement: “Based on the information available at this time, this infection does not change CDC’s current assessment of the human health risk from H5N1 avian influenza to the general U.S. public, which the agency considers to be low.
‘However, this development underlines the importance of taking the recommended precautions for people exposed to infected animals.’
Recommended precautions include wearing gloves, goggles or face masks while working with herds known to be infected with the virus.
In total, 136 flocks in 12 states now have confirmed infections with the avian influenza virus.
