Confirmed Bird Flu Cases in Washington State

By Leah Douglas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed two out of four presumptive positive bird flu cases among poultry farm workers in Washington state on Thursday.

The CDC also ruled out bird flu infections among healthcare workers who treated a person infected with the virus in Missouri, officials confirmed during a press call.

So far, the 31 confirmed U.S. human cases of bird flu, excluding the one in Missouri, have primarily involved farm workers who were in contact with infected poultry or dairy cows. Officials maintain that the general public's risk from bird flu remains low.

CDC Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah mentioned during the call that they expect the number of confirmed cases in Washington to increase as they complete testing on additional presumptive positives.

Furthermore, serological testing of healthcare workers who interacted with the patient in Missouri indicated that they were not infected with bird flu, according to a CDC official.

The investigation in Missouri confirmed there was no person-to-person transmission, although some tests performed on a household contact of the infected individual indicated a potential infection. Officials suspect both individuals may have been exposed to an unidentified sick animal.

To aid the bird flu response, the CDC has deployed teams to California, Michigan, Colorado, and Washington, as stated by Shah during the call.