Stanislaus County reports its first human case of bird flu infection. What you need to know
Stanislaus County recorded its first case of bird flu, in a person who had contact with infected dairy cattle.
A county Health Services Agency news release said the infected individual had mild symptoms. The person’s age and gender were not released. Antiviral medications were used to treat the patient.
A strain of avian flu, H5N1, has spread in wild birds across the globe and is able to cause outbreaks in poultry farms and dairy cows. Since the strain emerged in California in August, the state has established quarantines at 680 infected dairy farms, most of them in the Central Valley.
Information wasn’t available on the number of dairies affected in Stanislaus County.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency last week in response to rising cases of bird flu.
County health officials said there’s no evidence of the H5N1 virus spreading person-to-person. The cases in the United States have been linked to close contact with infected animals.
California has reported 36 cases of bird flu in people, more than half the cases recorded nationwide.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California Department of Public Health said the risk to the general public is very low. “People interacting with infected animals are at higher risk of getting bird flu,” the county news release said.
The CDC reported Dec. 18 a patient in Louisiana was hospitalized for a severe case of avian influenza.
Precautions for farmworkers
It’s important that people working around animals wear personal protective equipment. Stanislaus County public health officials are working with the dairy and poultry industries to distribute PPE to agricultural workers.
“While the risk to the general population remains low, we want to ensure that those working with infected animals take proper precautions by using PPE,” Dr. Thea Papasozomenos, Stanislaus County public health officer, said in the news release. “Exposed workers who have symptoms can reach out to county Public Health if they need assistance getting evaluated and tested.”
The symptoms of the viral infection include eye redness, cough, sore throat, fever, runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle aches, headaches, fatigue and trouble breathing.
Those who are exposed to infected animals are advised to monitor for the symptoms for 10 days. If they start to feel sick, they should isolate immediately, notify county Public Health, and work with Public Health and healthcare providers to be tested and treated, the news release said.
Exposed farmworkers with symptoms can notify Stanislaus County Public Health by calling 209-558-7535.
Health officials are recommending that county residents, especially workers at risk of catching the virus, receive a seasonal flu shot. It won’t protect against avian flu but it can decrease the risk of infection with seasonal flu and bird flu at the same time and reduce the chances of severe illness.
State and county officials said dairy cows infected with the bird flu can shed the virus in their milk. Pasteurized milk and dairy products are safe to consume, because pasteurization kills the H5N1 virus and other bacteria and viruses.
State officials said biosecurity measures are imposed at the affected dairies to keep the virus from moving beyond the confines of the farm. As of Friday, a total of 66 of those dairies had gone through testing to ensure the virus no longer was present.
Dairies released from quarantine are placed on a surveillance list for weekly testing, according to the California Department Food and Agriculture.
While avian flu mortality is 90% to 100% percent at poultry farms, the virus may result in death of 1% to 2% cows at infected dairies, said Dr. Annette Jones, veterinarian for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Usually, stressors such as dehydration and older age contribute to mortality in cows infected with bird flu, Jones said.
Erica Pan, state epidemiologist, said in a Zoom meeting with media that, historically, experts who track avian flu-strain outbreaks in countries have seen limited person-to-person spread.
Officials are not sure why the virus has spread among dairies in California, whether it’s contaminated equipment, employees or service providers going between farms or trailers not cleaned properly.
Dairy and farmworker organizations are performing education and outreach in affected industries, and 4 million pieces of protective equipment have been distributed.
This story was originally published December 24, 2024 at 11:40 AM.
