Bird flu case in person in Texas: Here's what experts say

A person in Texas has been diagnosed with a highly virulent strain of bird flu, the first such case since the virus was detected in dairy cows last week.

A person in Texas has been diagnosed with a highly virulent strain of bird flu, the first such case since the virus was detected in a handful of dairy cattle in several states across the country last week.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement Monday that the infected person worked on a dairy farm where some cows tested positive last week for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which is considered to be a highly pathogenic, or infectious, strain. The patient’s main symptom was pink eye.

Sid Miller, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, said it’s not yet clear whether the person was infected by a dairy cow or through the same source that infected the dairy cows, which appears to be dead waterfowl that were found on the property.

Regardless of the source, Miller said the public should not be worried. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a similar statement Monday, saying, “This infection does not change the H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public, which CDC considers to be low.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/bird-flu-texas-worker-dairy-cows-experts-say-rcna145894

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