Authorities in Washington revealed that four agricultural workers have tested presumptively positive for avian flu, marking the first human cases of the disease in the state.
These workers had come into contact with infected poultry at an egg farm in Franklin County, situated in the southern region of the state, as per the Washington Department of Health.
The affected individuals exhibited mild symptoms and received antiviral treatment. Officials mentioned that additional workers at the farm are undergoing testing, so the total number of cases might change.
Health officials advised any other employees or contractors who’ve worked on a poultry farm in the Benton or Franklin area of Washington since October 7 to contact the health department at (509) 460-4550 if they experience symptoms like red eyes or a respiratory infection.
Following a bird flu outbreak confirmed by the Washington State Department of Agriculture on October 15, approximately 800,000 birds on the farm were euthanized, according to authorities.
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Washington now joins five other states in reporting a human infection of H5N1. California recently confirmed two additional human cases from an infected dairy farm, bringing the state’s total to 13 cases.
Based on latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 27 cases of human bird flu infections this year — excluding the recent cases in Washington.
Most cases have been among farm workers who had direct contact with infected animals, but there was a rare isolated case reported in Missouri where the infected individual had no contact with any infected animals.
Nonetheless, the CDC stated that the public health risk remains low and it continues to monitor the situation closely.
