A health worker who came into contact with a Missouri patient who tested positive for H5N1 bird flu also developed respiratory symptoms, but was not tested for the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Missouri patient, who did not have any known contact with poultry or dairy cows, was hospitalized in August and tested positive for H5N1. The patient had underlying health conditions but has since recovered.
Last week, a different health care worker who cared for the patient developed mild respiratory symptoms but tested negative for influenza. Additionally, a person living with the Missouri patient also became sick on the same day, showing gastrointestinal symptoms which could be associated with influenza. The CDC is conducting further testing to determine if these cases were related to the H5N1 virus.
Experts are concerned about the possibility of human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus, as it typically does not spread in this way. The CDC is investigating how the Missouri patient was infected, as they had no known contact with animals. Despite the potential for human-to-human transmission, experts believe that the virus may not have changed in a way that makes it easily transmissible to humans.
Since March, there have been 14 bird flu infections primarily in poultry and dairy workers, amid an outbreak of H5N1 spreading in dairy cows in multiple states. The CDC is monitoring the situation closely to prevent further spread of the virus.
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