A Colorado prison inmate has tested positive for bird flu, becoming the first recent confirmed human case infected with the disease that has killed millions of chickens and turkeys. But US federal authorities foresee few threats to the general public.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed Thursday evening that the man who tested positive was removing chickens from an infected farm, as part of a release preparation program.
According to the CDC, it is possible that the man only had the virus in his nose, where the test is done, but that his body was not infected. Colorado public health officials said repeated human testing was negative for bird flu.
The man, who was under 40, reported fatigue for a few days but has since recovered, public health and CDC officials said. The inmate has been isolated and is being treated with antiviral medication. Other people involved in the chicken removal operation have tested negative but will be tested again.
Agriculture officials had reported an outbreak at a farm in Montrose County, with 58,000 broiler breeder chickens. When bird flu was detected, the inmates were asked to participate in the chicken disposal operation.
Despite this infection, the CDC considers the threat to the general public to be low, as spreading the virus to humans requires close contact with an infected bird.
The current strain of bird flu, H5N1, has been spreading among backyard and commercial chicken and turkey flocks in the United States since late February. Viruses have been found in US commercial and backyard birds in 29 states and in wild birds in 34 states. More than 35 million chickens and turkeys have been killed or removed to prevent the spread, the US Department of Agriculture pointed out.
The CDC said it has tracked more than 2,500 people who have been exposed to birds infected with the H5N1 virus, but this was the only confirmed case so far.
Source : https://www.impact.sn/Un-premier-cas-de-grippe-avi…