Four new human cases of Avian Flu were confirmed in the United States by health authorities on July 14, 2024, bringing to eight the number of people infected since the spring by this disease of animal origin.
Conjunctivitis and flu symptoms
The infected people are four “ agricultural workers » working in the same poultry farm, explained the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) in a press release. A fifth case is also suspected and must still be analyzed to be confirmed. The risk to the American population remains “ weak“, however, underlined the CDC. Contaminated workers suffer from “ conjunctivitis " and of " flu symptoms“.
A disease that now affects cows
An epidemic of avian flu was spotted in the spring in the United States, with an unusual fact: this disease which initially mainly affected poultry and birds now also affects cows. A first infection in Texas, in the south of the United States, was announced on April 1. This was the first known worldwide case of avian flu in a human via a cow. Two other cases were subsequently reported in Michigan. And at the beginning of July, another case was identified in Colorado on a cow farm. This western American state is now seeing the disease spread in both livestock and poultry.
Fear of virus mutation
Experts are concerned about the growing number of mammals infected with the disease, although cases in humans remain rare. They fear that high circulation will facilitate a mutation of the virus which would allow it to pass from one human to another.
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The CDC reiterated its call for precaution for workers in contact with infected cows or poultry. Additional genetic analyzes must be performed on these new cases in Colorado, to detect any possible changes to the virus that could cause " a change in the risk assessment » of the authorities for the population.
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