The patient, a dairy worker at a farm where cows had also tested positive for the virus, had eye symptoms, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday that she had recovered after receiving the antiviral medication Tamiflu. The illness course of the case is similar to that of two previous cases in this outbreak, which involved dairy workers in Texas and Michigan. Pink eye was the only symptom that appeared in both cases. It was the case that a third patient in Michigan experienced upper respiratory symptoms such as congestion, coughing, and sore throat.
None of the patients were related to one another, and all of them have recovered.
In a news release on Wednesday, the CDC stated, “Based on the information available at this time, this infection does not change CDC’s current H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public, which the agency considers to be low.”
The H5N1 strain of the virus is not spreading widely among humans, according to the CDC, and there is no evidence of an increase in flu-like illnesses.
The CDC said on Tuesday in a briefing with reporters that since the outbreak was first discovered in March, more than 780 people who were exposed to sick cows have been monitored and 53 have had virus testing done.
In the upcoming weeks, 4.8 million doses of a vaccine against this specific strain of flu may become available, according to federal health officials. Additionally, Moderna is developing an mRNA vaccine for bird flu in its early stages.
As of Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture reported that 139 herds in 12 states were impacted.
Anybody who comes into contact with dairy cattle is advised by the CDC to wear protective gear, such as sanitized boots, waterproof aprons, and safety glasses. Moreover, raw milk that has not been pasteurized is highly discouraged by health officials. It has been demonstrated that pasteurization neutralizes the virus in milk samples.