NEW YORK – Health officials announced Wednesday that a person in Louisiana has become the first person in the United States to become seriously ill with bird flu.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the patient had come into contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock.
Officials did not immediately provide details about the person's condition.
The disease so far in the United States has been mild, with the majority affecting farm workers exposed to sick poultry and dairy cows.
this year, 60 or more More than half of the reported cases of avian influenza have occurred in California.
Health officials have not disclosed how the adult in Missouri and two children in California were infected.
The CDC confirmed the Louisiana infection on Friday but did not announce it until Wednesday.
This is also the first human case in the United States associated with exposure to a backyard herd.
Health officials say bird flu remains primarily an animal health problem and the risk to the general public remains low.
There is no record of the virus being transmitted from person to person.
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