Five New Human Cases of H5N1 Bird Flu in the US

In coordination with the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the State Emergency Operations Center, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) announced orn only five human cases of the disease bird flu among workers responding to an outbreak of avian influenza at a commercial egg production facility. The CDC has confirmed four cases, and one more case is presumptive positive and awaiting confirmation.

Three of the five CDC-confirmed cases are from samples that the CDPHE State Public Health Lab sent to the CDC on Friday, July 12, for confirmatory testing. The fourth case was another presumptive case discovered by the State Lab on Friday evening and confirmed by the CDC. A fifth worker’s samples tested presumptive positive at the State Lab on Saturday, July 13, and will be sent to the CDC for confirmation. No additional test results are pending at this time.

The workers were slaughtering poultry on a farm in northeastern Colorado and had mild symptoms.such as conjunctivitis and general symptoms of a respiratory infection. No one was hospitalized.. State epidemiologists suspect cases of the disease among poultry workers are the result of working directly with infected birdsThe investigation continues with support from the CDC.

It should be noted that the authorities claim that It is safe to eat poultry products when cooked and processed properly.Proper handling and cooking of poultry, meat and eggs kills bacteria and viruses, including bird flu.

If you work with dairy cows or poultry that may become ill with avian influenza, seek medical attention or call CDPHE at 303-692-2700 (after hours: 303-370-9395). The department can help get flu testing and medications if needed.