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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Wednesday that authorities have confirmed a second case of H5N1 avian influenza.
A 55-year-old dairy worker in Michigan became ill after handling cows infected with H5N1, the CDC said in a press release. Tests on upper respiratory tract samples were negative, but samples taken from his eyes confirmed H5N1 avian influenza infection.
A farm worker in Texas was diagnosed with the disease in March. The Michigan and Texas patients both had conjunctivitis, or inflammation of the conjunctiva. Neither showed any signs of a respiratory infection.
“Conjunctivitis (eye infection) has been associated with previous human infections with avian influenza A viruses and is part of the current CDC case definition for A(H5N1) surveillance,” the CDC explained in a press release on Wednesday.
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At least two farm workers have been infected with H5N1 avian influenza this year. (iStock)
“It is not known exactly how eye infections occur from exposure to avian influenza, but it is probably due to eye contamination from droplets of contaminated liquid or from those contaminated with A(H5N1). It could be due to contact with the virus.
The Texas case was the first known case of H5N1 avian influenza in the United States. This is the first time in the world that humans have been infected with H5 avian influenza from cows.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has found that at least 49 dairy herds in nine states have been exposed to H5N1. The CDC asserted Wednesday that the health risk to humans from H5N1 avian influenza remains low.
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Fatina Albies, a research scientist in the Sabeti lab at the Broad Institute, works with milk samples in May 2024. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“Based on available information, this infection does not change CDC’s current assessment of the human health risk from H5N1 avian influenza to the U.S. general population, which the agency considers to be low,” the CDC said in a statement, “However, this development highlights the importance of recommended precautions for people who have been in contact with infected or potentially infected animals.”
Authorities are still monitoring the outbreak but insist pasteurized milk is safe to drink.
“I can assure you that our nation’s commercial milk and meat supplies are safe,” USDA Secretary of Agriculture Eric Deeble said in a briefing on May 16. “At no time have animals infected with H5N1 or any other animal disease been introduced into our nation’s food supply.”
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Postdoctoral researcher Dr. John Aristi Sanz tests a sample for avian influenza in the lab in May 2024.
The CDC encourages Americans to avoid exposure to dead animals and animal waste. Officials also encourage drinking raw milk.
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“Following these recommendations is central to reducing personal risk and containing the overall public health risk,” the group advised.
Fox News Digital’s Melissa Ruddy contributed to this report.
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