Louisiana bird flu patient is first to show 'severe' symptoms

An elderly person in Louisiana who was exposed to bird flu from a backyard flock is now hospitalized with a “severe” case of bird flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. The person is the first of 61 people to be infected with the H5N1 virus in the U.S. this year, with symptoms described as anything but “mild.”

The CDC confirmed that the person was infected with a strain of the H5N1 virus that was related to a strain recently found in wild birds and poultry in the United States, as well as in people in Washington state and in a hospitalized teenager in British Columbia , Canada, was discovered.

The H5N1 strain is different from the strain circulating between dairy farms and some poultry flocks, which is believed to have been transmitted by wild birds earlier this year.

In a news release, the CDC said it will seek to further analyze the Louisiana patient’s sample to better understand the route of infection. However, the agency determined the patient was exposed to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks, marking the first U.S. infection linked to a backyard flock.

According to Emma Herrock, communications director for the Louisiana Department of Health, the patient is suffering from severe respiratory symptoms and is in critical condition. The patient reportedly has underlying medical conditions and is over 65 years old, putting him at increased risk for flu complications, Herrock said via email. She did not want to provide any further personal information, citing patient confidentiality.

So far, the virus has only passed from animals to humans, not from person to person – which would significantly increase public health concerns. The Louisiana case “does not change CDC’s overall assessment of the immediate public health risk of H5N1 avian influenza, which remains low,” the release said.

However, the agency recommends that people who work near or are exposed to birds or livestock recreationally, including backyard owners, hunters and bird lovers, take extra precautions.

Public health experts have told USA TODAY that it is only a matter of time before someone becomes seriously ill with the infection, which has spread from wild birds to poultry and dairy farms across the country.

In previous bird flu outbreaks in other parts of the world, the virus proved quite deadly, killing about half of those known to be infected. But it’s possible that many more people may have contracted the virus and the symptoms weren’t severe enough to be counted, experts said.

Related Posts

Google’s new quantum chip solves in 5 minutes what would take a classical computer billions of years to do

Gators Rally Eliminates Tar Heels in Their Backyard

Josh Jacobs is fighting to join the two Packers and accomplish a rare feat

Leave a Reply Cancel reply