The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seen in Atlanta, March 15, 2020. Credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore, File
A patient hospitalized in Missouri has been infected with bird flu despite having no known contact with dairy cows or other animals associated with an ongoing outbreak, health officials said Friday.
This is the 14th person to be infected with bird flu in the United States since March, when the virus was detected in cows, after infecting birds and wild mammals around the world. Another person was infected in 2022.
The risk to the public remains low, officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement. No unusual flu activity has been detected in the United States, including in Missouri, the authorities said.
The latest case was confirmed after the person, an adult, was hospitalized Aug. 22 with other health issues, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services officials said in a statement.
The person tested positive for influenza A, which CDC officials later confirmed was avian flu. The person received antiviral treatment and has since recovered and returned home, health officials said. It is unclear whether the hospitalization was caused by the avian flu infection or the person’s existing health conditions, said Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health.
Health officials have not released the person’s name, age or hometown. No close contacts of the person have been infected, CDC officials said.
The case raises questions about how the person was exposed to the virus. All previous infections in the United States have involved people who worked around cows and poultry.
According to the Department of Agriculture, bird flu has been detected in nearly 200 dairy herds in 14 states, but not in Missouri. Bird flu has also been detected in commercial and backyard flocks as well as wild birds. The person did not report drinking raw milk, which can contain the live virus, Cox said.
The investigation is continuing, authorities said.
This is the first case detected through routine influenza surveillance rather than targeted efforts to identify people infected with bird flu through exposure to infected cows and poultry, authorities said.
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