Louisiana patient is first serious case of bird flu in US, health officials say

NEW YORK (AP) — A person in Louisiana has the first serious illness caused by bird flu in the United States, health officials said Wednesday.

The patient had been in contact with sick and dead birds in backyard flocks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Agency officials did not immediately describe the person’s symptoms.

Previous illnesses in the United States had been mild, and the vast majority had been among farm workers exposed to sick poultry or dairy cows.

this year, more than 60 bird flu infections have been reported, with over half of them in California. In two — an adult in Missouri and a child in California — health officials have not determined how they caught it.

The CDC confirmed the Louisiana infection on Friday, but didn’t announce it until Wednesday. It’s also the first U.S. human case linked to exposure to a backyard flock, the agency said.

The Missouri patient was also hospitalized, but for reasons other than just the bird flu infection. The Louisiana case is different because the person’s hospitalization was due to flu symptoms, CDC officials said.

Did the Louisiana patient have pre-existing conditions that made him or her more susceptible to disease? Is the person on a ventilator? The CDC deferred these and other questions about the patient to state health officials, who did not immediately respond.

Last month, Canadian officials reported that a teenager in British Columbia was hospitalized with a severe case of bird flu. CDC officials did not respond to a question about whether the new U.S. case had any similarities or differences, prompting reporters to ask officials in Louisiana.

Health officials say bird flu is still mainly an animal health problem and the risk to the public remains low. There has been no documented spread of the virus from person to person.

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