The Nevada Milk Worker, which was infected with a new type of bird flu, which is different from the version that has been expanding in American herds since last year, said Federal Health Officials on Monday.
The disease was considered mild. The main symptom of a person was the redness of the eyes and irritation, similar to most cases of bird flu associated with milk cows. The person was not hospitalized and recovered, according to US centers for the control and prevention of the disease (CDC).
The newer strain has been seen in more than a dozen people exposed poultry, but this is the first time the infection has been found to a cow. The Nevada Dairy Worker was exhibited at the farm in Churchill County, in the western central part of the country, state health officials said.
CDC officials said there was no evidence that the virus had spread from that person to any other people. The agency still says that the virus is a low risk for the general public.
A bird flu that is currently spreading towards animals, and some people are known to scientists as a flu A H5n1 flu. But there are different strains.
California declared an urgent state of the H1N5 bird’s flu while the virus spreads wider in the milk herds. Although cases are still rare in humans, experts invite those who work with birds and livestock for precautions.
The version known as B3.13 was confirmed in March after it spread to livestock at the end of 2023, scientists said. It infected 962 herds for livestock in 16 countries, the vast majority of which is California.
The new version, known as D1.1, was confirmed in the beef in Nevada on January 31. It was found in milk collected as part of a tracking program started in December.
The new case asks questions
This discovery meant different forms of viruses that spread from wild birds to cattle at least twice. Experts said he raised questions about wider spread and difficulties in controlling infections in animals and people working with them.
At least 68 people in the United States have been reported that in the last year it has been infected with a bird flu, according to CDC data. Everything but a small handful worked closely with cows or poultry.
Most caught version B3.13. CDC said earlier that the D1.1 version was only seen in cases in Louisiana and Washington. But on Monday, the agency revealed that the available data show that D1.1 was probably infected with a total of 15 people in five countries last year – Iowa, Louisiana, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin – all related to poultry.
D1.1 Virus version was associated with the first American death related to the bird flu in a severe disease in Canada. The person in Louisiani died in January after developing severe respiratory symptoms after contact with wild and yard birds. In British Columbia was a teenager Hospitalized for weeks with a virus that follows to the poultry.
Although the risk for the general public is low, CDC says that the flu’s bird is a greater threat to people with close or long contact with infected cows, birds or other animals. These people are encouraged to carry protective equipment and take other precautions.
