Presumptive Positive H5N1 Human Case Revealed in Nevada D1.1 Dairy Outbreak

CNN reports sample sent to CDC for confirmation

CNN-Dairy Farm Worker in Nevada has Screened Positive for H5N1

CNN —The newer variant of avian influenza that recently infected dairy cattle in Nevada has a genetic change that’s thought to help the virus copy itself in mammals — including humans — more easily, according to a new technical brief from the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

It’s unclear whether these viruses pose a bigger threat to people, however. The CDC says the risk of H5N1 to the public is still low, although people who work on farms or who have backyard flocks are at higher risk.

The USDA report comes as a dairy farm worker in Nevada has screened positive for H5N1, the first human infection identified in the state. The worker’s symptoms include red, inflamed eyes, or conjunctivitis, according to a source familiar with the details who was not authorized to speak to the media. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to confirm the initial positive test. …

If confirmed, this would be the first documented H5N1 2.3.4.4b D1.1 strain human spillover from cattle. Earlier human cases have likely been avian spillovers (or of unknown origin in the severe British Columbia case).

Hopefully, standard CDC reporting processes will prevail with this case, with prompt disclosure of case details and sequencing results if successful.

Stay tuned

John