The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced four new human cases of bird flu on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to eight. All four people work at the same poultry facility as farm workers.
This outbreak is part of a concerning spread of the virus among cows, which has also led to human infections. A fifth case is suspected but needs more testing to confirm.
The CDC says the risk to the general public is “low.” The infected workers reported symptoms like pink eye (conjunctivitis) and flu-like symptoms.
Earlier this year, an unusual bird flu epidemic was detected in the United States. The disease mainly affected poultry and birds but has now been found in cows too. The first human infection from a cow was reported on April 1 in Texas. After that, two cases were found in Michigan and another in Colorado in early July.
Colorado, a state in the western US, is currently seeing the disease spread among both livestock and poultry. Experts are worried about the increasing number of infected mammals. Although human cases are still rare, they fear that the virus could mutate and start spreading from person to person.
The CDC has reminded workers who handle infected cows or poultry to take safety measures.