The U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday revealed in a statement that the person who tested positive for avian influenza A (H5) virus was involved in the culling of poultry suspected to have had H5N1 bird flu.
Africa Daily News, New York gathered that the patient was said to have reported fatigue for a few days as the only symptom and had since recovered.
According to information provided by the CDC, the patient is currently being isolated and treated with the influenza antiviral drug, oseltamivir.
‘This case does not change the human risk assessment for the general public, which CDC considers to be low,’ the agency clarified.
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Africa Daily News, New York reports that the CDC had been monitoring for illness among people exposed to H5N1 virus-infected birds since these outbreaks were detected in U.S. wild birds and poultry in late 2021.
Till this day, H5N1 viruses have been found in U.S. commercial and backyard birds in 29 states and in wild birds in 34 states, according to the CDC.
The agency has tracked the health of more than 2,500 people with exposure to H5N1 virus-infected birds and this is the only human case that has been found to date.
It is the second human case worldwide associated with this specific group of H5 viruses that are currently predominant.
The first case was reported in Britain in December 2021.
Africa Daily News, New York also gathered that China had also confirmed the first known human case of the H3N8 strain of avian flu yesterday, however, health authorities have continued to maintained there is a low risk of widespread transmission among people dousing fears of a potential epidemic.
H3N8 is known to have been circulating since 2002 after first emerging in North American waterfowl.
Africa Daily News, New York
