The California Department of Public Health is investigating a possible case of human bird flu originating from a Central Valley dairy facility. An employee at the dairy has tested ‘presumptive positive’ for the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, which has already affected poultry and dairy cows across the United States. While the risk to the general public remains low, this case highlights the importance of vigilance and proper protective measures for those working with potentially infected animals. Avian influenza and its impact on the agricultural industry are topics of growing concern.
A Concerning Discovery
Bird flu, which raised alarm in China this year, may have reached the California central valley: The state Department of Public Health is awaiting federal confirmation that a resident there has been infected with the disease. A worker at a company in the area has tested ‘presumptive positive’ for H5N1, the high-end avian influenza virus that wiped out poultry and dairy cowhides in much of the United States.
The employee was from a facility now under quarantine after an outbreak of bird flu, the news release said. Both are suffering from mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis (red eye) and have been placed in home isolation and started on antiretroviral drugs. This means the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is looking to verify the test results — because, yeah things are getting pretty real.
Protecting the Frontline
The California Department of Public Health is advising the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by any one handling animals (or materials that may be infected with H5B1 or H5N6). To date, the state has delivered 343,000 respirators and other protective gear to dairies, as well as 1.3 million gloves, 160,000 goggles and face shields and 168,000 bouffant caps to dairy farms impacted by COVID-19 outbreaks., farmworker organizations and slaughterhouse workers.
Looking forwardThis proactive response underscores the great risk for the course of infection that people working closely with suspect animals — such as those employed at poultry farms or dairies. Longafter they were cleared of the virus nearly two weeks ago, based on guidance from the FSSPCA health department recommending increased surveillance among those who had been exposed. A humanely treated case “Indefinable” — redness of the eye, coughing periods, a dry cough, and throat pain – is required to be immediately isolate and seek medical attention in case someone does become unwell even before entry point (public).
More than Just Skin: Systemic Implications and Prevention
The report of what could be the first human bird flu case in the Central Valley — the 15th reported in the U.S. this year and its case number should be 24. The CDC is collaborating closely with state health departments to monitor and respond to the rapid spread of the H5N1 virus through agricultural fields.
This winter, the California Department of Public Health is reminding all residents and at-risk workers to get their seasonal flu vaccine in response to historical data which suggests a COVID-traumatized population facing an unprecedented challenge from influenza. Making sure everyone gets a flu shot will not provide any protection against catching H5N1, the researchers added, but it could lessen dual influenza infections and help minimize how sick people get from seasonal flu. State officials are also cautioning that pasteurized milk and dairy products still present no risk to consumers as the H5N1 virus would be inactivated by the pasteurization process.
