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Nov. 23 (UPI) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that the first child in the United States has been infected with the H5 bird flu virus.
On Tuesday, the California Department of Public Health reported that the child in Alameda County tested positive for bird flu, despite no known contact with infected animals. They investigated a possible exposure to wild birds. Alameda County is located in Northern California.
The state contacted the CDC to investigate the cause of the child’s first positive test.
On Friday, the CDC said that low levels of viral material were detected in the first sample collected, and that follow-up tests of the child several days later came back negative for H5 bird flu but positive for other common respiratory viruses. The child recovers from his illness.
The CDC said all household members reported having symptoms and samples were collected from those people. All of their test results were negative for H5 bird flu, and some family members were positive for the same common respiratory viruses as the child.
No person-to-person spread has been identified in connection with the H5N1 bird flu cases reported in the United States.
Fifty-five human cases of H5 bird flu have been reported in the United States in 2024, 29 of which were in California.
Widespread outbreaks of H5N1 avian flu have been observed in wild birds and domestic poultry since 2022, and in dairy herds since August 2024, including in California.
CDC said the risk assessment for the general public is low, although people exposed to infected or potentially infected animals, including livestock, or to environments contaminated by infected birds or other animals, are at greater risk for infection.
CDC recommends avoiding unprotected exposure to sick or dead animals.
Pasteurized milk and dairy products are safe to consume, but drinking raw milk or eating raw milk products can be dangerous.
“It is normal for people to be concerned, and we want to make it clear to parents, carers and families that, based on the information and data we have, we do not believe the child was contagious – and that there is no evidence of spread of birds from person to person. Influenza has been documented in any country for more than 15 years,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomas Aragon.
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