In a baffling turn of events, a Texan has contracted the avian flu after contact with diseased dairy cattle. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) divulged on Monday that a case of the avian influenza A(H5N1) virus had been confirmed in a human, marking an alarming development in the spread of the bird flu.
The infected individual, whose identity and location have been kept under wraps, was found to have inflammation of the eye as their singular symptom. After undergoing testing last week, the cases were confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over the weekend, as reported by KXAN. Treatment with the antiviral drug oseltamivir is currently underway.
Despite the implications of this transmission, DSHS officials have stressed that there is no increased risk to the general populace. The CDC has previously noted just one other human incident of the H5N1 in the country, making this particular instance the first to involve exposure to cattle. A prior announcement from the Texas Animal Health Commission in March disclosed the original instances of the H5N1 in dairy cattle in the state's Panhandle region, as per NTX e-News.
To combat further spread among livestock and protect the agricultural workforce, DSHS is actively collaborating with the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), CDC, and other relevant agencies. They have issued guidance to dairies in affected areas, instructing them on minimizing exposure for workers and outlining the procedures for self-monitoring and testing in cases of flu-like symptoms. Public reassurance has also been given that the commercial milk supply does not incur risk from cattle infections due to stringent milk destruction or diversion protocols for sick cows, along with pasteurization processes that eliminate the bird flu virus, according to NTX e-News.
Remaining vigilant, DSHS has propelled a health alert for healthcare providers around the impacted dairies, pressing for heightened awareness and offering detailed testing and treatment recommendations. Avian flu symptoms in humans can swing from relatively mild — like eye infections and upper respiratory issues — to considerably more severe, including pneumonia and, in extreme cases, death.
