CDC reports fourth case of bird flu in a farmworker

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said a human case of bird flu has been detected in the state of Colorado, which is the fourth case of infection recorded so far this year in the country.

The case was identified in a dairy worker in Colorado who was regularly exposed to cattle infected with bird flu, government officials said.The patient has already recovered after receiving medication.

Last month, Colorado authorities found that up to 10% of cows in that state were showing symptoms of bird flu. Protection protocols were therefore implemented for agricultural workers, mostly migrants, to avoid possible human infection with the virus.

Another 12 states have put in place protective measures after detecting several cattle infected with the virus.

This is the fourth human case of bird flu linked to a multistate outbreak of the H5N1 virus in U.S. dairy cows. None of the four cases are related to each other, the CDC said.

The first case was detected by health authorities in Texas, who confirmed in April that a man had tested positive for bird flu. Two cases were then detected in Michigan.

The virus, identified as H5N1, is a subtype of avian influenza that is highly contagious among birds.

The CDC said there is no sign so far that the virus has evolved in a way that could spread rapidly among people because all four cases are in people who were directly exposed to sick cows.

In late March, it was reported that dairy cows in Texas and Kansas were infected with bird flu, and days later, officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed cases within a herd of dairy cows in Michigan that had recently been in contact with cows from Texas.

Infections among cattle in New Mexico and Illinois have also been investigated.

This comes a day after the U.S. government awarded $176 million to Moderna to advance development of its bird flu vaccine, the company said Tuesday, as concerns mount over an outbreak of the H5N1 virus in dairy cows and infections among dairy workers since March.

The funding from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority will be used to complete the final phase of development and testing of a pre-pandemic mRNA-based vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza, the company said in a statement.

*With information from EFE.

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