CDC confirms two human cases of bird flu in California

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday afternoon that it had confirmed two human cases of H5 bird flu in California .

The health agency said the two cases were separate and that they occurred in people who work in areas where they were exposed to infected dairy cows.

The CDC said that the risk to the general public remains low.

The H5N1 bird flu was detected for the first time in cows this year in the United States, and outbreaks among dairy herds in California were first reported in August, the CDC said.

Across the country, a total of 16 human cases of H5 have been reported this year, including the cases in California. Other cases have been reported in Texas, Michigan, Missouri and Colorado, with this last state accounting for ten cases.

Six of the 16 cases human cases were linked to exposure to sick or infected dairy cows, nine of the cases were linked to infected poultry, and the single case in Missouri has not been determined, the CDC said.

The CDC said that people should avoid direct contact with sick or dead wild birds, poultry and other animals and that if contact must be made, suggests people wear personal protective equipment.

People are also advised to not touch surfaces or materials that have saliva, mucous, or animal feces from wild or domestic birds or other animals with a confirmed bird flu infection. The CDC also advises people to not touch or drink raw milk or raw milk products with suspected infection.

If someone does get sick after touching infected animals, the CDC advises that they call local health officials and undergo testing.

Symptoms of bird flu include eye redness, flu-like upper respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing, runny or stuffy nose and muscle aches.

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