Washington is reporting that workers at an egg farm have now contracted bird flu during the outbreak. Four people, who were egg farm workers, have now “preliminarily” tested positive for avian influenza. These contrast the other infections in humans, which were in dairy cattle workers.
The cases, if confirmed, would be the first infections in human beings in Washington since officials began tracking a notable rise of it in birds and other animals starting in the United States. around 2022. Since then, upward of two dozen human cases have been detected across five other states, and all but one were tied to contact with infected animals.
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The health officials in Washington state wanted to stress that these cases are “presumptive” as they are awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We are still going through the ongoing investigation,” Dr. Umair Shah, Washington’s secretary of health, said during an online press conference on Sunday. “At this time, we believe the individuals that we have gotten the results back have been exposed to infected poultry. We do not have evidence at this time of human-to-human spread. However, that is still part of our investigation,” Shah added.
Even though they say that the “risk” to human beings is low, the CDC is also investigating whether or not the “vaccine” stockpiled for a bird flu outbreak is suitable for the current strain of the virus.
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So far, none of the egg farm workers in Washington have been hospitalized, but they are showing symptoms. Dr. Steven Krager, the local health officer for Benton and Franklin counties, said the workers had shown signs of mild upper respiratory illness, including runny nose, sore throat, and mild cough, as well as conjunctivitis, which is often referred to as “pink eye,” and has been common in previous bird flu infections.
According to a report by The Washington State Standard, the type of bird flu that has been circulating in the U.S. is known formally as an H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza. This disease has caused outbreaks across the country in poultry, dairy cows, and various wildlife, including harbor seals in northwest Washington.
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