Two cases of bird flu in humans confirmed in San Joaquin County. Both are farmworkers

Two human cases of H5N1 avian flu have been confirmed in San Joaquin County, health officials reported Friday.

The cases occurred in farmworkers with known exposure to infected animals, and both people have had mild symptoms and are recovering, according to a news release from San Joaquin County Public Health Services.

There are 34 confirmed human cases in California, the release said, but Stanislaus County remains bird flu free. “At this time, we don’t have any cases,” Stanislaus County Health Services Agency spokesperson Kamlesh Kaur told The Bee in an email Friday afternoon. “We are working with our partners and local dairies to ensure they are informed about bird flu.”

Statewide, about half of the industry’s 1,100 dairies have herds with the virus, including Raw Farm LLC in Fresno County, The Fresno Bee reported.

People who handle birds, poultry or cattle are at higher risk and should take safety precautions, including wearing recommended personal protective equipment when in close contact with those animals, the San Joaquin County release says. Such PPE includes N95 masks, face shields or safety goggles, and gloves.

The California Department of Public Health also recommends that such workers get the seasonal flu vaccine “to help mitigate compound influenza exposure.”

Currently, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus, the release says, and the risk to the general public is low. Public health officials recommend that people not consume raw milk, raw milk products or raw eggs at this time.

“Cows infected with bird flu can shed the virus in their milk, but pasteurization makes dairy products safe to consume because pasteurizing milk neutralizes the H5N1 virus,” the release says. “This also applies to poultry — cooking eggs inactivates the virus.”

To learn more about the H5N1 Avian flu, visit the California Department of Public Health site www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/cid/dcdc/pages/Bird-Flu.aspx.

To see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s current Avian flu response, visitwww.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html.

This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 4:55 PM.