In the United States, health officials have reported a second case of bird flu. This time, the infected individual is a farmworker in Michigan who had contact with livestock that had been infected with avian influenza. The person experienced mild symptoms and has since recovered. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has not released any additional information about the farmworker.
This case comes after the first human case of bird flu was identified in Texas last month, which was also linked to cattle. The infected person in Texas had direct contact with sick cattle and reported red eyes as their only symptom. Including the Michigan case, there have been only three reported cases of bird flu in the U.S.
Despite these cases, health officials stress that the risk to the general public remains low. According to MDHHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus is being closely monitored and there have been no signs of sustained human-to-human transmission at this point.
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive at MDHHS, emphasized the importance of swift public health responses in detecting and monitoring new illnesses. Farmworkers who have been exposed to affected animals have been asked to report any symptoms, and testing for the virus has been made available.
This is an ongoing situation, and updates may be provided as more information becomes available.
