Officials in Washington have reported that four agricultural workers have presumptively tested positive for avian flu, marking the first human cases of the disease in the state.
The workers had been in contact with infected poultry at an egg farm in Franklin County, which is located in the southern half of the state, according to the Washington Department of Health.
These individuals experienced mild symptoms and were given antiviral medication. Officials have stated that more workers on the farm are currently being tested, so the total number of infected individuals may change.
Health officials advise that any other employees or contractors who may have worked on a poultry farm in the Benton or Franklin area of Washington since Oct. 7 should contact the health department at (509) 460-4550 if they exhibit symptoms such as red eyes or a respiratory infection.
About 800,000 birds on the farm were euthanized after testing conducted by the Washington State Department of Agriculture on Oct. 15 revealed a bird flu outbreak, officials stated.
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Washington has now become the sixth state to identify a human infection of H5N1. Recently, California reported two more human cases from an infected dairy farm, bringing the state’s total to 13.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 27 cases of humans being infected with bird flu this year — not including the recent cases in Washington.
Most cases have involved workers at farms who came into contact with infected animals, but there was a rare and unusual “one-off” case reported in Missouri in which the infected individual had not been in contact with any infected animals.
Despite this, the CDC has stated that the public health risk remains low and that they are closely monitoring the situation.
