A third possible human case of avian flu was detected in California, after authorities previously reported two cases, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reported in a statement.
The third possible case was identified in a person from the Central Valley “who was in contact with infected dairy cattle” and the CDPH said it sent samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where they will be tested.
The CDPH indicated that there is no known relationship or contact between the third possible case and the other two reported, “so it is suggested that the virus has only spread from animal to human in California.”
Authorities noted that people had contact with animals at three different farms. “Like the first two cases, this individual also experienced mild symptoms, including eye redness or discharge (conjunctivitis),” the CDPH explained.
None of the people have been hospitalized, the department added.
Fear of contagion between humans
A person from Missouri was infected with bird flu and had to be hospitalized on August 22 and managed to recover, the CDC reported in early September. The adult had no known contact with poultry or dairy cows.
Case A sparked increased anxiety about the risk of bird flu spreading between humans, especially because it was the first infection in a person in the United States who did not work with poultry or dairy cows.
The CDC said the risk among the general public remained low.
“The question now is: How did this patient get the infection?” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. “We need a very, very thorough investigation.”
There has been no evidence that H5N1 (the H5 virus that spreads in dairy cows) has been passed from person to person. The Missouri patient’s sample will need to be studied in the laboratory to see if the H5 virus could have acquired mutations that make it easier to transmit to humans, Schaffner explained.
“This will be of great interest,” he said.
In a separate statement, Missouri health officials said there have been no signs of unusual influenza activity in people, nor increases in emergency room visits or laboratory detection of human influenza cases in the state.
The Missouri State Public Health Laboratory received a sample from the patient, local health officials said in the release. The sample was sent to the CDC for further studies.
The adult patient has underlying medical conditions and tested positive for influenza A, Missouri officials reported.
