A Texas dairy farmer reportedly suffered the first case of bird flu transmitted to humans from farm animals.
The man infected developed pink eye and “mild symptoms” but no respiratory complications.
“Experts at the CDC say that they think he caught the virus from an infected cow in March. In an official case report, published on Friday, the CDC said that they found “strong evidence” through genetic data that pointed them to this conclusion,” The Mirror reported.
“This revelation shows the first sign of HSN1 virus spreading from mammals to humans. The World Health Organisation said that this is a “milestone” that is of “enormous concern.” The images of the patient, plus further details about his case, were published in a report in the New England Journal of Medicine,” the outlet continued.
In March 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that a 56-year-old Chinese woman has become the first person to die from Avian Influenza A (H3N8).
“On 27 March 2023, the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China notified WHO of one confirmed case of human infection with an avian influenza A(H3N8) virus,” the announcement reads. “The patient was a 56-year-old female from Guangdong province with an onset of illness on 22 February 2023. She was hospitalized for severe pneumonia on 3 March 2023 and subsequently died on 16 March 2023.”
Guangdong province was among the earliest areas to report COVID-19 cases outside of Wuhan.
The WHO announcement also indicated the woman suffered from “multiple underlying conditions” as well as a “history of exposure to live poultry before the onset of the disease, and a history of wild bird presence around her home.”