5 New Cases of Bird Flu Identified in Colorado

Five human cases of bird flu have been reported over the weekend among poultry workers in Colorado. On Sunday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment identified the cases tied to a bird flu outbreak at a commercial, egg-layer operation. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed four of the cases, and one additional case is presumed positive and awaits confirmation.

The workers were culling poultry at a farm in northeast Colorado and exhibited mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis (pink eye) and common respiratory infection symptoms. None were hospitalized. State epidemiologists suspect the poultry workers’ cases are a result of working directly with infected poultry.

Last week, the CDC confirmed three of the Colorado cases and said, “risk assessment for the general public remains low. As we learn more, we will continue to assess the situation and provide updates. These preliminary results again underscore the risk of exposure to infected animals. There are no signs of unexpected increases in flu activity otherwise in Colorado, or in other states affected by H5 bird flu outbreaks in cows and poultry.”

As CMM previously reported, four human cases in dairy farm workers had previously been identified this year: one in Colorado, one in Texas and two in Michigan.

The CDC has been watching influenza surveillance systems closely, particularly in affected states, and has reported no signs of unusual influenza activity in people. In May, the CDC recommended farm workers wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to combat bird flu spread. Earlier this month, the U.S. government awarded US$176 million to Moderna to advance bird flu vaccine development for humans, as CMM previously reported. Already, two dozen companies are working to develop a bird flu vaccine for cattle.

As of July 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed 157 infected dairy herds across 13 states. This marks the outbreak spread to another state last week: Oklahoma. Still, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, and Texas have reported the most cases in dairy herds. U.S. health experts have warned that further spread of the virus among cows could heighten the risk of more human infections.