Latest Human Case of Bird Flu Not Linked to Animals

On Sept. 6, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the latest human case of bird flu in Missouri. This is the 14th human case of bird flu reported in the U.S. this year.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) reported that the patient, who was hospitalized, had underlying medical conditions, was treated with influenza antiviral medications, subsequently discharged, and has recovered.

For the first time in the U.S., the infected human had no known occupational exposure to sick or infected animals. The CDC also hasn’t identified any ongoing transmission among close contacts. In Missouri, bird flu outbreaks in cattle have not been reported, but outbreaks of bird flu in commercial and backyard poultry flocks have been reported this year. Bird flu also has been detected in wild bird populations in the state in previous years.

While other novel flu cases have been detected through the country’s national flu surveillance system, the CDC reported that this is the first time the system has detected a case of bird flu. Targeted bird flu-outbreak specific surveillance has been conducted as part of ongoing animal outbreaks and has identified all the other cases. In this case, the specimen from the patient originally tested positive for flu A, but negative for seasonal flu A virus subtypes. That finding triggers additional testing.

The CDC continues to monitor available data from influenza surveillance systems, particularly in bird flu-affected states. No sign of unusual influenza activity in people, including in Missouri, have occurred. The CDC’s current assessment is that the risk to the public from bird flu remains low.

As CMM previously reported, the World Health Organization said an Argentinian bird flu vaccine developer will share its data with manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries to accelerate a vaccine rollout if a bird flu pandemic occurs.