CDC detects first human bird flu case in Oregon

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that an unnamed individual in Oregon contracted bird flu pathogens in the first case in the state on Friday.

The person was linked to a previously reported outbreak affecting birds at a commercial poultry operation in Clackamas County.

“Clackamas County Public Health Division has been closely monitoring people exposed to the animal outbreak, which is how this case was identified. The individual experienced only mild illness and has fully recovered,” said Dr. Sarah Present, the Clackamas County Public Health Officer. 

There is no evidence of person-to-person transmission of the disease, formally known as avian influenza (HPAI).

This year 52 people from eight states have tested positive in the U.S. this year as the virus has infected poultry flocks and spread to more than 500 dairy herds, the CDC said.

“We continue to remind the public that people at increased risk of infection are those who have had close or prolonged, unprotected exposures to infected birds or other animals, or to environments contaminated by infected birds or other animals,” said Dean Sidelinger, a health officer and state epidemiologist at Oregon Health Authority (OHA).

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is closely monitoring individuals in the state and has provided personal protective equipment in addition to training for affected farmworkers, alongside symptom education and monitoring.

They are warning the public to stay away from dead birds, sick animals and raw dairy products.