Three poultry workers from a farm in northeast Colorado are suspected of contracting bird flu, state and federal health officials announced Friday.
Specimens have been sent to the CDC for confirmation. The workers who tested presumptive positive had mild symptoms and were helping with the depopulation of poultry at a facility dealing with an H5N1 outbreak.
The “H5 bird flu” is spreading among wild birds and causing outbreaks in dairy cows and poultry across multiple states. The CDC is sending a team to Colorado to assist with the ongoing investigation at the state’s request.
There have been four confirmed human cases of bird flu in the U.S. since March, all in farmworkers, with two in Michigan, one in Texas and one in Colorado, the CDC said.
In the latter case, a Northern Colorado farm worker developed pink eye after direct contact with cattle infected with avian flu, according to the CDPHE.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed bird flu outbreaks in 152 cattle herds so far this year. Most recently, Oklahoma became the 13th state to have a confirmed positive case in a dairy herd, according to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
The CDC stated that the risk to the public from bird flu remains low, with “no signs of unexpected increases in flu activity in Colorado or other states affected by H5 bird flu outbreaks in cows and poultry.”
However, the CDC added that “human infections with this novel influenza virus (and others) are concerning because of the potential to cause severe disease.”
Federal officials are considering when to deploy 4.8 million doses of the bird flu vaccine. Last month, Finland announced it would offer shots to workers who might be exposed to the virus.
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