CDC confirms first severe bird flu case in the U.S.
A person in Louisiana has the first severe illness caused by bird flu in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.
Officials determined the patient had exposure to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks, though an investigation into the source of the infection in the state is ongoing. This is also the first case of H5N1 bird flu in the U.S. that has been linked to exposure to a backyard flock, a news release noted.
The case was first confirmed by health officials Friday, adding to the total of 61 reported human cases of H5 bird flu reported in the United States. Another severe case of H5N1 has been reported in a teen in British Columbia.
A release from the Louisiana Department of Health Wednesday added the patient, a resident of southwestern Louisiana, is currently hospitalized.
Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, noted that the patient is over 65 and has chronic medical conditions.
"They are in critical condition at this moment," she said on "CBS Mornings" Thursday.
Until now, the H5N1 cases in the U.S. have been mild, including conjunctivitis and upper respiratory symptoms.
"While the current public health risk for the general public is low, people who work with birds, poultry or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk," the state's health department added.
Gounder agrees that the risk for the general public is still "exceedingly low."
"The people who are at risk are farm workers, people who handle domesticated animals, livestock — and really don't drink raw milk. It's really not a good idea, given everything that's happening," she said.
As more people get exposed to this virus, infectious disease experts are also worried about the possibility of human-to-human transmission, which could trigger a pandemic.
"The concern is, the more we allow spillover into humans, the more likely at some point you might see a mutation that would allow for human-to-human transmission," Gounder said.
In response to growing concerns over bird flu cases in the state and across the country, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation on Wednesday. He said it would help "ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak."
The state of emergency allows for flexibility in hiring and contracting, Gounder explained.
"California has really taken the lead here with the amount of testing that they've been doing. Many states have not been testing as aggressively, and now there's a USDA mandate for testing," she said.
