Washington investigating first-ever presumptive human bird flu cases

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – Officials in Washington are investigating the state’s first-ever presumed human cases of avian influenza after four agricultural workers tested presumptively positive for the disease, the Washington Department of Health announced Sunday.

The employees tested presumptively positive for avian influenza — known as bird flu — after working with infected poultry at a commercial egg farm in Franklin County, officials said – noting the workers experienced mild symptoms and were treated with antiviral medication.

The farm had a bird flu outbreak in chickens, which led to about 800,000 birds being euthanized after a test from the Washington State Department of Agriculture on Oct. 15 found they all had the disease.

As the state investigates the presumptive cases, Washington health officials forwarded test samples from the exposed workers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for final confirmation and analysis of the virus.

Testing for additional cases from people on the farm is pending and the number of cases under investigation may change, the health department said.

In the meantime, the Benton-Franklin Health District and the Department of Health have provided personal protective equipment to workers on the farm and are monitoring exposed workers for bird flu symptoms.

Employees or contractors who may have worked on a poultry farm in Benton or Franklin counties since Oct. 7 are urged to contact BFHD if they have symptoms including respiratory infections or red eyes, the department said.

These mark the first presumptive bird flu cases under investigation in Washington, which is the sixth state to identify a human infection of H5N1, or the virus that causes bird flu. The virus has caused ongoing multi-state outbreaks in poultry, dairy cattle, and wildlife.

“Washington has monitored the spread of H5N1 closely since it was first detected in poultry in the state in 2022, and our state is prepared with the knowledge, relationships, and tools to minimize its impacts on our community,” said Washington Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah.

Bird flu is caused by avian influenza Type A viruses that naturally occur in wild aquatic birds. The virus can infect other bird species and mammals officials said, adding the virus can be deadly to poultry species such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese, or guinea fowl.

The health department said it’s rare for the virus to infect humans and make them sick, noting most cases occur after prolonged, close contact with infected animals or environments.

The CDC considers the risk to the general public to be low; however, people with exposures to infected birds, cattle, or other potentially impacted animals are at a higher risk of catching the virus and should take precautions such as wearing PPE.

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