The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that the United States has identified the first known human case of H5 bird flu in a Colorado inmate.
According to the CDC, the person tested positive for the avian influenza A (H5) virus. The individual, who is under the age of 40, was involved in culling chickens that were suspected of being infected with the virus, according to the CDC and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), ABC News reported.
According to CDPHE, the man was exposed while working with infected poultry at a commercial farm in Montrose County, about 50 miles away. The farm work is part of a pre-release employment program in which inmates can work for private companies and be paid a wage.
The virus was discovered in a single nasal sample from the individual by Colorado health officials, and the finding was verified by the CDC on April 27.
The individual was asymptomatic, according to Telangana Today, and only complained of exhaustion for a few days. The patient is being isolated and treated with the influenza antiviral medication oseltamivir, according to the CDC.
“This case does not change the human risk assessment for the general public, which CDC considers to be low,” the health agency said. CDC has been monitoring for illness among people exposed to H5N1 virus-infected birds since these outbreaks were detected in wild birds and poultry since late 2021.
Health experts in the United Kingdom discovered the first human instance of this virus in an asymptomatic patient who had been breeding infected birds. It’s the second human case in the world linked to this particular strain of H5 virus, which is now prevalent.