Health officials say the 65-year-old was hospitalised after contact with an infected flock of back-yard birds.A 65-year-old in the southern state of Louisiana has been hospitalised in critical condition as the result of the bird flu, becoming the first severe case reported in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Wednesday that the person had been in contact with an infected flock of back-yard birds. There have been no reported cases of person-to-person transmission.
“CDC confirms first severe case of H5N1 Bird Flu in the US. While an investigation into the source of the infection is ongoing, it has been determined that the patient had exposure to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks,” the agency said.
“This case does not change CDC’s overall assessment of the immediate risk to the public’s health from H5N1 bird flu, which remains low.”
Demetre Daskalakis, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, also told reporters that the Louisiana case was the first to be linked to a noncommercial flock.
While experts emphasise the threat to public safety is minor at present, the spread of the virus has raised questions over how the outbreak is being tested and tracked. Advertisement
As of Wednesday, the CDC has tallied 61 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the US, with most of them connected to exposure to sick p …