Three presumptive cases of H5 bird flu virus infection have been reported in poultry workers in Colorado, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health officials.
The three individuals, who were not hospitalized, experienced mild symptoms including conjunctivitis or pink eye and common respiratory infection symptoms such as fever, chills, coughing, sore throat and runny nose. The infections occurred through contact with infected poultry during culling operations at a poultry facility that was experiencing an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu.
Preliminary testing by Colorado officials showed the three individuals were infected with a novel type of influenza, presumed to be bird flu. Samples have been sent to the CDC for confirmatory testing.
The CDC assesses the risk of bird flu to the general public as low, but with pandemic potential if it mutates to spread easily between people. Historically, most human cases of bird flu infection have happened in people not wearing recommended personal protective equipment.
There have been seven confirmed human cases of bird flu in the US since April 2022, all contracted from infected animals. The latest outbreak is part of a far-reaching outbreak of H5N1 bird flu that has been spreading globally in wild birds, infecting poultry and various species of mammals and causing an outbreak in U.S. dairy cows.
The CDC recommends avoiding close, prolonged or unprotected exposure to sick or dead animals including wild birds, poultry, other domesticated birds and other wild or domesticated animals including cattle.
Proper cooking kills bird flu virus; health officials say it remains safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry and eggs. Commercially available milk, which is pasteurized, is also considered safe.
