Fourth case of human catching bird flu from cattle reported in Colorado

A fourth person has caught bird flu after exposure to dairy cattle, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Wednesday. The new case is the first in Colorado.

The previous cases involved a person in Texas, reported in April, and two people in Michigan reported in late May. All four patients have been workers in the dairy industry.

The Colorado patient reported suffering only from eye symptoms, which can include pink eye. The individual has been treated and has recovered, the CDC said.

The virus has not adapted for person-to-person spread, Colorado officials said.

“The risk to most people remains low. Avian flu viruses are currently spreading among animals, but they are not adapted to spread from person to person. … people who have regular exposure to infected animals are at increased risk of infection and should take precautions when they have contact with sick animals,” Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said in a statement.

The outbreak of the A(H5N1) strain of bird flu began among dairy herds in Texas, with the first report on March 25 according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In total, 140 herds have been affected by the outbreak across 12 states. Idaho, which has not had a human bird flu case reported, has the most affected herds at 28, followed by Colorado with 27, Michigan at 25 and Texas with 21.

The bird flu originated in America’s poultry, with 97.26 million birds affected since the outbreak began on Feb. 8, 2022.

Bird flu has hit 1,160 flocks across 48 states, 502 of them commercial flocks and the remaining 658 backyard flocks, according to inspection service data.

In addition to the four cases associated with dairy cattle, one person in Colorado caught bird flu in late April 2022 after being involved in the culling of poultry, the CDC said.

Louisiana and Hawaii had not had any flocks infected by bird flu as of Wednesday.