CDC Confirms First Bird Flu Infection in Missouri Resident With No Animal Contact

Missouri has detected its first human case of bird flu in a patient who had no known contact with an infected animal, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday.
This is the first time a patient who did not work with any poultry or dairy farms has tested positive for bird flu, and it is the 14th human bird flu case reported in the United States this year.
The patient, who had underlying health conditions, was hospitalized on Aug. 22. The CDC said a sample was sent to the agency, where it was confirmed to be the H5 subtype, also known as avian influenza A or bird flu.
State health officials did not provide details on how the patient contracted the virus or what symptoms they experienced.
The CDC said the risk to the general public from avian flu remains low.
“The results of this investigation will be particularly important in light of the current lack of an obvious animal exposure,” the agency said in a statement.
“It is important to note that, while rare, there have been novel influenza A cases where an animal source cannot be identified.”
Missouri has not reported any H5 infections in dairy cattle, although there have been some cases reported in commercial poultry or backyard flocks and wild birds, according to the CDC.
The state health department said there has been no sign of unusual influenza activity in people, including no increase in emergency room visits or laboratory detection of human influenza cases in Missouri.
Infection with both viruses could lead to a genetic reassortment, where genetic material from the two influenza viruses mixes and creates a new influenza virus, according to the agency.
“In theory, reassortment could lead to a new influenza A virus that could pose a significant public health concern by becoming more efficient at spread and potentially more severe. A virus that has the transmissibility of seasonal influenza and the severity of H5N1,” the CDC’s principal deputy director, Nirav Shah, said during a July 30 press call.
Shah acknowledged that dual infections are rare but said the agency aims “to do everything we can” to reduce the risk of a new virus emerging from such infections.