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A patient in Louisiana has been hospitalized with severe HIV bird flu, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first such case in the United States.
The agency said Wednesday that the person was exposed to sick and dead birds in a backyard flock; This is the first US case of bird flu linked to a backyard flock.
“The patient reported in Louisiana is believed to have been exposed to sick or dead birds on their property. These are not poultry, and there was no exposure to dairy cows or their related products,” said Dr. Demetrius Daskalakis, CDC's National Director of Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
Federal officials declined to answer questions about the patient's symptoms or current condition. Instead, they referred all questions about the case to the Louisiana Department of Health, which is leading the investigation.
According to the state authorities, the patient was infected with HIV. He is suffering from severe respiratory disease and is hospitalized in critical condition. The Louisiana Department of Health said in an email to that the person is over 65 and has medical conditions that increase their risk of getting the flu.
This virus, D1.1, is the same strain in recent human cases. Canada and found in Washington state and wildfowl and poultry in the US. It is different from B3.13, the type found in dairy cows, some poultry outbreaks, and others in humans in the United States.
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Dr. Sanjay Gupta says that one type of milk poses a risk due to bird flu.
The CDC said it is working on additional genomic sequencing samples from the patient. Southwest LouisianaAnd the investigation of the patient's exposure is still ongoing.
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Bird flu has been linked to serious human illness and death in other countries. Human-to-human transmission has not been detected.
“This case does not change CDC's overall assessment of the immediate threat to public health from H5N1 bird flu,” the agency said in a statement.
Since April, 61 cases of H5 bird flu have been reported in the United States, mostly among dairy and poultry workers.
The Louisiana case shows that precautions should be taken by those with backyard chicken flocks, hunters and other bird enthusiasts, the CDC said.
“The cases in the United States are a fluid constellation,” said Dr. Rebecca Christopherson, a virologist at Louisiana State University's School of Veterinary Medicine. Experts don't understand exactly how these leaks are occurring and the specific factors that increase a person's risk.
“A lot of people these days try to answer these questions as a kind of black box,” says Christopherson.
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If raw milk is at risk of bird flu, what about raw milk?
The CDC says the best approach is to avoid exposure. Infected birds can shed the virus in their saliva, mucus and feces, and other animals can shed it in their respiratory secretions and bodily fluids, including milk from cows.
“People who work with or have fun with infected animals are at risk of the disease and it is very important. Follow CDC recommended precautions A message that we continue to emphasize with recent cases surrounding infected or potentially infected animals,” says Daskalakis.