United States: According to the CDC, the first person without known or direct contact with an animal has been confirmed to be infected with the H5N1 virus, commonly referred to as bird or avian flu.
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The case identified in Missouri was picked through the state’s surveillance of seasonal flu. The CDC said that the public remains at minimal risk overall.
According to Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services, the patient had to be hospitalized in August; however, the person, with “no immediate known animal exposure,” had underlying medical conditions.
Influenza antiviral was administered to the individual, and the person was discharged and has also recovered, according to the department.
More about bird flu contraction in US
Not less than thirteen other people in the US have contracted bird flu this year, but all these people came into contact with infected animals through work, poultry, or cows, to be precise.
According to the CDC statement, “While other novel flu cases have been detected through the country’s national flu surveillance system, this is the first time that system has detected a case of H5,” as the Hill reported.
Initial reports of the virus were from dairy cows in March, but none of them were identified in the state of Missouri.
The United States Department of Agriculture or USDA disclosed in January of this year that there were cases of the disease in 51 herds of cattle those are located in different states such as Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Kansas, Colorado, Idaho, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas.
In June, the WHO stated that a man in Mexico died from bird flu but not a precedent strain of the virus.
The former director of the CDC said that everyone is sure that the bird flu pandemic will occur; the only thing that is still in question is when.
He also compared bird flu with COVID-19; he observed that bird flu is deadlier since it has a “significant mortality rate.”