By Amber Roman
05 Nov 2024, 15:56 PM EST
The United States is facing a situation with increasing cases of H5 avian flu in agricultural workers and animals in several regions, particularly in California and Washington. These outbreaks, which have affected dairy cattle and poultry, have led to multiple probable infections in humans and spread among animals. In recent days, California reported four new probable cases in workers, while Washington reported three additional infections, increasing the number of people affected.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed that with the four recent cases, the state has reached a total of 20 people exposed to the virus so far this year. Of these, 17 cases have already been validated through confirmatory testing conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One of the new California cases involves a dairy worker, who met defined exposure criteria, although confirmation of his infection was not validated by the CDC in subsequent testing. This increase in the number of human cases reflects the rapid spread of the virus in the state’s agricultural environment.
In Washington, the situation has also shown an increase in the last week. On Nov. 1, the State Department of Health reported three probable cases of workers who were in direct contact with infected poultry. With these new numbers, Washington now has a total of 12 human cases of bird flu, of which 9 have been confirmed by the CDC. In addition, the monitoring of these cases has involved other states: sick patients in Washington traveled to Oregon, a state that has recently confirmed the presence of the virus in backyard birds and even a pig, which represents the first case recorded in this state. type of animal in the United States. During their stay in Oregon, the patients were monitored by health authorities and returned to Washington, where they remained under observation for ten days.
Nationally, the CDC has recorded 41 human cases of bird flu throughout the year in six states, with one additional case under investigation. Meanwhile, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture has confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus in several species of farm animals. Recently, 38 outbreaks were reported in dairy cattle, with 30 of these in California and 8 in Utah, particularly in Cache County. In total, APHIS has detected the virus in 442 cattle herds in 15 states. Adding cases in other animals, such as pigs and alpacas, the detections amount to 444, distributed in 16 states.
In addition to outbreaks in livestock, APHIS reported new outbreaks of infection in poultry in the West, including a turkey farm in Sacramento County, California, where 48,300 birds have been affected. Washington and Oregon also reported outbreaks in poultry in several counties, which has put local authorities on alert due to the rapid spread of the virus in the region.
Another notable fact is the detection of H5 avian flu in wastewater in Los Angeles County. The County Department of Public Health made the announcement on November 1, reporting that it is the first time the H5 virus has been found in a wastewater system in California. Although no human infections have been reported in the county so far, authorities stressed that the risk to the general population remains low. However, the Department of Health is taking preventive measures, focusing on those sectors that could be at higher risk of exposure, such as meat and dairy processing workers.
The spread of the virus through wastewater and its presence in several animal species has raised concerns about the transmission capacity of avian flu. Authorities in California and other states have redoubled their efforts to monitor and contain the virus, implementing control measures in affected areas and reviewing public health monitoring systems to avoid possible infections in the population. The situation in California and Washington highlights the need to continue strengthening epidemiological surveillance and collaboration between states, especially given the possibility that the virus affects new species or increases its transmission between humans.
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