Michigan worker tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
A human in Michigan tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, authorities announced on May 22.
The farmworker, whose name, gender, age, and other personal details were not disclosed, experienced mild symptoms and has already recovered, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.
The location and name of the farm that employs the worker were also not identified.
A nasal swab from the patient tested negative but an eye swab tested positive, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
Known symptoms of H5N1 include eye inflammation and fatigue.
The patient only reported eye symptoms, according to the agency.
The influenza, known as the bird flu and H5N1, has previously been detected in 15 dairy cattle herds and multiple poultry flocks in Michigan. Officials have been asking workers exposed to sick animals to take tests and report even mild symptoms.
“The current health risk to the general public remains low,“ Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive of the department, said in a statement. ”This virus is being closely monitored, and we have not seen signs of sustained human-to-human transmission at this point. This is exactly how public health is meant to work, in early detection and monitoring of new and emerging illnesses.”
The CDC said that the new infection “does not change CDC’s current H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public, which the agency considers to be low.”
“However, this development underscores the importance of recommended precautions in people with exposure to infected or potentially infected animals,” it added.
People who get close to infected cattle or other animals are advised to wear protective equipment like goggles. All people are advised to avoid eating raw or undercooked food from animals with suspected or confirmed cases.
Eye infections could result from instances such as being splashed with contaminated fluid or touching one’s eye with a contaminated hand, officials said.
High levels of H5N1 have been found in unpasteurized milk. Some samples of pasteurized milk tested positive for H5N1, but further testing showed no live virus in those samples, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said.
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