Human case reported as bird flu continues to spread

As the bird flu continues to spread across the United States, including in Wyoming, a single reported case in a person from Colorado has now been confirmed by the CDC.

The infected individual is reported to have had direct exposure to poultry and was involved in culling poultry with presumptive H5N1 bird flu.

The individual reported fatigue was their only symptom and has since recovered. They were isolated and treated with an antiviral drug.

“This case does not change the human risk assessment for the general public, which CDC considers to be low,” stated a CDC press release.

“However, people who have job-related or recreational exposures to infected birds are at higher risk of infection should take appropriate precautions.”

This is only the second human case of H5N1 associated with the specific group of H5 viruses that are currently predominant. The first was reported in December, 2021, in the United Kingdom.

Bird flu does, however, continue to spread across the nation. Wyoming has reported a number of cases in both wild birds and backyard poultry flocks.

Numerous species are listed among the 38 wild birds now confirmed to have been infected with bird flu in Wyoming, from great horned owls and bald eagles to magpies, turkeys and Canada geese.

Counties in which wild bird infections have been confirmed, according to CDC data, include Park, Teton, Fremont, Sweetwater, Carbon, Albany, Laramie, Converse, Johnson and Sheridan.

Among domestic birds, H5N1 virus outbreaks have now been confirmed in five poultry flocks in Wyoming. Sheridan, Johnson and Fremont counties have each experienced one outbreak, while Park County has reported two.

In total, over 37.5 million birds are now known to have been affected by the virus, affecting 166 counties in 34 states.