Contents
-
news
-
Health
California case is the first confirmed case of H5N1 bird flu infection in a US child
Health officials have confirmed bird flu in a California child — the first case reported in a minor in the US. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the test results, saying the child had mild symptoms, was treated with antiviral medication and is recovering. State officials have said the child attends daycare and lives in Alameda County, which includes Oakland and surrounding communities, but have not released any other details. Read on to know more.
The child attends daycare and lives in Alameda County, which includes Oakland and surrounding communities
Bird flu has been confirmed in a child in California — the first case in a minor in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health officials say the child had mild symptoms, was treated with antiviral medication and is recovering.
“It is natural for people to be concerned, and we want to let parents, carers and families know that based on the information and data we have, we do not believe the child was infectious – and not human-to-human spread of bird flu This has been documented for more than 15 years in any country,” said Dr. Tomas Aragon, California’s director of public health.
The child attends daycare and lives in Alameda County, which includes Oakland and surrounding communities, according to state officials. No further information was released about him.
Officials said they are investigating how the child became infected. California health officials earlier said in a statement that they were looking into “potential exposure to wild birds.”
There is no evidence that bird flu spreads from children to other people.
However, it has been reported that people who lived in the child’s home reported having similar symptoms, but their test results for bird flu were negative. Health officials noted that the child and household members also tested positive for other common respiratory viruses.
The number of infected increased to 55
US report brings up infection numbers. Bird flu cases this year reached 55, including 29 in California, the CDC said. Most of those infected are farmworkers who have tested positive with mild symptoms. The one exception was an adult in Missouri who did not work on a farm and had no known contact with an infected animal. It remains a mystery how the person became infected, although health officials have said there is no evidence of spread between people.
Canadian officials have also said that a British Columbian teenager was recently hospitalized with bird flu.
More than 280 million poultry birds died
According to data, the virus has killed at least 280 million poultry birds since 2021 and has caused the world’s largest sudden loss of wild birds in decades. It has spread to the Antarctic region – where it has caused mass deaths of elephant seals and fur seals.
H5N1 bird flu began spreading among U.S. dairy cattle in March. California – the nation’s top dairy producer – has become the epicenter of the US outbreak. Since August, 402 herds have been found infected in the state – 65 percent of the 616 herds in 15 states where the virus has been confirmed.
Experts call for more testing
Experts have pointed out the critical need for more testing and training for farm workers to protect themselves from the disease. Most doctors say that not enough is being done to make sure that we are keeping people from getting infected and certainly making sure that people who are infected get the drugs that could potentially kill them. Can prevent you from becoming seriously ill.
Get the latest news live on Times Now with breaking news and top headlines from around the world.
