Texas and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday reported a human case of avian influenza in a person who had contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with the virus.
It is the second case of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza identified in a person in the United States.
The CDC said this infection does not change the H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public, which it considers to be low.
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The health agency said people who are exposed to infected birds or animals or to environments contaminated by them are at greater risk of infection.
The patient’s only symptom was eye inflammation, according to the state’s health department.
The CDC is working closely with state and federal agencies, including the United States Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and local health authorities to investigate and closely monitor this situation.
—Reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago, Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese and Maju Samuel