Colorado Man Tests Positive for Bird Flu: Dairy Farm Worker Infected
Public health officials in Colorado announced that an adult man, who is an employee at a dairy farm, tested positive for bird flu after experiencing mild symptoms, including pink eye. The man had exposure to infected cattle but recovered after receiving antiviral treatment. This marks the fourth human case of bird flu in the U.S. since avian flu was confirmed in cows earlier this year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the risk to the general public from bird flu is low but emphasized that individuals with exposure to infected animals are at greater risk. The virus has spread to cows on 139 farms across 12 states, with Colorado reporting 27 outbreaks.
Moderna was awarded a $176 million government contract to develop a human bird flu vaccine, while the USDA is researching a potential vaccine for cattle. The agency aims to eliminate the virus from dairy herds without the need for a vaccine.