Earlier this month, Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced emergency disaster Not because wildfires are common in the Centennial State this time of year, but because of a avian influenza outbreak at a commercial poultry facility in Weld County, north of Denver. Some workers at the egg farm have now euthanized poultry in response to the spread of bird flu tested positive for the disease.
Five people have reportedly been infected. Colorado Department of Public Health and EnvironmentAs of Sunday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed four of those cases. None of the workers have been hospitalized, Colorado officials said, noting that their mild symptoms included conjunctivitis, or pink eyeand symptoms consistent with a respiratory infection.
Colorado was the first place where the disease spread from animals to humans. H5N1current strains of avian influenza circulating globally. In 2022, a Colorado Farm Workers cull poultry that tested positive. As of this month, CDC records show, no cases of poultry-to-human transmission have been reported. However, as of April 1, 2024, four workers at dairy farms in the United States have tested positive for bird flu after exposure to livestock: two cases in Michigan, one case in Texas and most recently one case in Colorado.
If the presumptive positive test from the latest poultry outbreak in Colorado is confirmed, 10 people in the United States will have contracted avian influenza from livestock or poultry. The CDC maintains that the general public’s risk of contracting H5N1 is low. However, people who work closely with infected poultry and other animals remain at higher risk.
Infected wild birds can spread the virus to poultry and other animals through feces, mucus, and saliva. To date, avian influenza has affected more than 99 million birds in 48 states and more than 150 dairy herds in 12 states. Modern industrial farming has created ideal conditions for the spread of the disease. Dr. Edwin Michaelan epidemiologist at University of South Florida School of Public Health.
“Look at the animal density on those farms—it’s not a natural environment,” Michael said before Luck. “So as soon as you get [an infection]These things will spread very quickly among farm animals.”
“We have to demystify the way animals are raised,” Michael added. “It’s a trade-off, you want cheap meat and all that, but then you raise animals this way and you open the door to other things.”
CDC: No evidence of human-to-human transmission of avian influenza
The general public is at low risk of contracting avian influenza not only because they are unlikely to have direct contact with infected poultry, but also because the CDC has not documented any cases of human-to-human transmission.
Testing by the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture has shown that the country Commercial milk supply is safebecause the pasteurization process will inactivate H5N1. Eggs and poultry are also safe to eat.as long as they are cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, the CDC says.
In April, World Health Organization backed the CDC’s assessment that the public is at minimal risk, citing a lack of evidence that the virus has mutated to facilitate human-to-human transmission. The agency stressed that sporadic cases of avian influenza in mammals and humans are common and that further human cases are not unexpected. That guidance has not been updated following the latest cluster of cases in Colorado.
Preventing widespread infection among farm workers is key to limiting the chances of the virus mutating, he said. Dr. Michael OsterholmDirector of Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
“There is currently no evidence that this is an imminent danger to humans,” Osterholm speak Luck in the May“We have not seen it infect humans in a way that would support that it will be the next pandemic virus. On the other hand, a recombination event or a sustained mutation could happen tomorrow.”
What are the symptoms of bird flu in humans?
Humans infected with bird flu exhibit a wide range of symptoms, from pneumonia requiring hospitalization to no symptoms at all. The CDC lists these other symptoms signs of possible infection:
- Cough
- Red eyes
- Tired
- Fever or feeling feverish
- Headache
- Body or muscle aches
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Sore throat
Less common symptoms include:
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Convulsion
- Vomiting
For more information on the latest bird flu outbreak:
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