Is bird flu spreading in people? Without blood test results, officials can't say
Is there human-to-human spread of H5N1 bird flu? The CDC is awaiting antibody test results from the Missouri patient and close contacts.
A total of seven people who were in close contact with a bird flu patient in Missouri developed symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, but it remains unclear whether these represent cases of human-to-human spread of the virus.
Antibody blood test results, which will come back later this month, officials said, are needed to answer that question. Since most of the seven people weren’t tested for bird flu, it’s not yet known whether any of them were infected with the virus or another pathogen.
The Missouri patient, who didn’t have known contact with poultry or dairy cows, was hospitalized in August with underlying medical conditions.
On a call with reporters Friday, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said officials were able to retroactively track the patient’s movements during their time in the hospital in August and identify health care workers who were exposed and potentially at risk.
After the patient was hospitalized, Daskalaskis said, doctors tested the individual for influenza, a result that came back positive, and gave the patient Tamiflu. After the positive flu result, health care workers started using more personal protective gear around the patient.
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