The CDC confirmed the first bird flu case in a human in the U.S
A Missouri man hospitalized with the H5N1 bird flu has been described as a “singular” disease in Canada, Washington, and other countries
A person with bird flu in Missouri was hospitalized in late August, but CDC officials say it was due to underlying medical conditions. The patient had no respiratory symptoms or severe illness from their infection. There is not the same type of data that supports that the case was related to the flu in Missouri.
There are similarities between the viruses from Canada and Louisiana, where a man was hospitalized with the H5N1 bird flu. Scientists have categorized the virus in Louisiana as type D1.1, the same type found in the Canadian patient and another case from Washington state. This variant has been found in wild birds and poultry in the US.
Still, the hospitalization is a reminder that bird flu has a well-established history of leading to severe illness and death over the past 20 years in other countries, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis with the CDC, told reporters on Wednesday during a press call.
The agency is looking for any changes to the virus that may suggest it’s evolving to cause more severe disease, according to Daskalakis.
Some scientists were concerned that the case in British Columbia exhibited certain tendencies that could cause trouble, although more research was required to understand the exact implications.
On the investigation of the Louisiana viral infection “Bayesian Pomeron” (Fla. Phys. Lett. A.K. Daskalakis)
Daskalakis referred reporters to Louisiana officials conducting the investigation into the case for further details on how the person caught the virus and their symptoms.
“Infections without a clear source of exposure do occur, neither these cases nor the cases with known animal or animal products exposure have resulted in human to human transmission,” said Daskalakis.
A man with bird flu in Missouri was hospitalised in late August, but officials say it was due to underlying medical conditions. The patient had no respiratory symptoms or severe illness from their infection. Scientists have categorised the virus in Louisiana as type D1.1, the same type found in the Canadian patient and another case from Washington state.