"Global health" : Confirmed human infection with the H5N1 virus in the United States
Geneva, April 19, 2024 – The World Health Organization announced that it was notified of a laboratory-confirmed human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus on April 1, 2024, by the National Contact Center for International Health Regulations in the United States of America.
The organization said in a statement today that the patient’s symptoms appeared on March 27 and he had a history of exposure to livestock presumed to be infected with the virus.
The organization added that the virus was transmitted from a cow to a person who was working on a cow farm in Texas, noting that infections had been reported in 29 herds in 8 different American states since last March.
The organization explained that bird influenza viruses identified in cows and the human case have not shown any increased adaptation to mammals, but farm workers and other people in close contact with cows should take precautions in case the animals become infected.
Dr. Wen Cheng Chang, head of the World Health Organization’s Global Influenza Program, confirmed that the human infection case in Texas is the first case in which a person was infected with avian influenza through a cow. He pointed out that transmission of the infection from birds to cows, from cows to cows, and from cows to cows has also been recorded. Birds during the current outbreaks, which indicates that the virus may have found other ways to transmit than previously thought. The organization noted that while this appears worrying, it also demonstrates the power of surveillance for diseases and allows them to be detected while the risks of the virus are being assessed.
According to the World Health Organization, cases of human infection with the H5N1 virus, or bird flu, are rare and related to exposure to infected environments and animals. Only 900 cases of infection have been reported since 2003, and they range from mild to asymptomatic to severe.
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