By Naveen Athrappully
Contributing Writer
Louisiana has detected the state’s “first presumptive positive human case” of bird flu infection and advises citizens to avoid contact with infected animals.
The potentially flu-infected individual “is a resident of southwestern Louisiana and is currently hospitalized,” said a Friday statement from the Louisiana Department of Health. The agency is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the case.
“The investigation identified that the individual had exposure to sick and dead birds that are suspected to have been infected with H5N1,” it said.
LDH said that the “current general public health risk for the highly infectious avian influenza is low.”
The current outbreak of avian influenza among poultry and wild birds has been happening since 2022, the agency said, while advising people to avoid contact with potentially infected animals.
“Do not touch sick or dead animals or their droppings and do not bring sick wild animals into your home,” it said. “Keep your pets away from sick or dead animals and their feces.”
The agency advised that people working on poultry or dairy farms should consider getting a seasonal flu vaccination. However, the vaccine “will not prevent infection with avian influenza viruses,” it said, adding that it can only “reduce the risk of coinfection with avian and flu viruses.”
LDH asked poultry owners to “immediately quarantine” the premises if their flocks become infected. The agency also advised people exposed to sick or dead animals or birds and those who work on farms that have seen an outbreak of bird flu to remain alert for respiratory symptoms or conjunctivitis (pink eye).
Arizona reported its first avian flu human infections on Dec. 6, with two individuals exposed to infected poultry getting sick. Both people have already recovered.
According to a Friday update from the CDC, 60 confirmed avian flu infections have occurred in humans in the United States this year.
California had the highest number of infections, with 34, followed by Washington with 11, Colorado with 10, Michigan with two, and Missouri, Oregon, and Texas with one each.
“While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures,” the agency said on its website. “CDC is using its flu surveillance systems to monitor for H5 bird flu activity in people.”
Animal Infections, Food Recall
It’s not just farm animals and poultry at risk of infection. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced on Thursday that it was looking into two potential avian flu cases in cats.
The cats had consumed recalled raw milk sold by Raw Farm LLC. The company had earlier voluntarily pulled out the items from the market after detecting flu in its milk and dairy cows. It withdrew all raw whole milk and cream products produced after Nov. 9.
Raw Farm was put under quarantine by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The distribution of its dairy products produced on or after Nov. 27 has been suspended.
Both infected cats showed a “lack of appetite, fever, and neurologic signs” after consuming the milk, the Health Department said.
“The infected cats died after severe worsening of their illness, and subsequently tested positive for Influenza A, a rare result in cats,” it said.
Individuals who came into contact with the cats are being monitored for potential flu symptoms.
“To avoid the spread of disease, including H5 bird flu, we strongly encourage residents and their pets to avoid raw dairy and undercooked meat products,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the Health Department.
Arizona’s Maricopa County Department of Public Health announced on Wednesday that some animals in the Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park have been infected by avian flu.
After the infections were detected, the zoo temporarily halted guest activities that involved direct contact with animals and quarantined the infected or exposed animals.
CDC data show that there were nearly 123 million affected poultry across 49 states as of Friday. In addition, 845 dairy herds from 16 states were affected.
