WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Askume) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that epidemiologists have not yet identified the cause of a bird flu infection reported last week in Missouri.
This human case is the 14th case discovered in the United States this year. The other 13 cases were found among agricultural workers and were linked to outbreaks of avian influenza on poultry or dairy farms.
Nirav Shah, the CDC’s principal deputy director, told reporters on Thursday that the infected people were hospitalized with symptoms including chest pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
It is unclear whether the patient’s symptoms were due to his underlying illness or the flu.
Shah said the investigation into the source of the infection is ongoing and the CDC has not yet determined whether the case is related to an existing outbreak of avian influenza in dairy cows.
“Currently, the evidence suggests this is an isolated case,” Shah said.
Shah said Missouri contacted the CDC. It has not yet been invited to conduct an on-site investigation, but the CDC is working closely with state health officials on the response.
Shah also said the CDC will work with five commercial laboratory companies – Aegis, ARUP, Gingko Bioworks (DNA.N) , LabCorp (LH.N) and Quest (DGX.N) – to respond to disease health epidemics, including bird flu .
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said eight California dairy herds have been infected with avian influenza since the first case was reported in cattle on Aug. 30. More than 200 dairy herds in 14 states have been infected with avian influenza since March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Eric Dibble, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said the California herd has been isolated and the state is expected to conduct bulk milk testing at dairy farms surrounding the affected farms.
Dibble said the agency does not know how the virus arrived in California.
Shah said the Centers for Disease ControlSeasonal flu vaccination for agricultural workers will begin in October . The campaign aims to prevent double infection of avian influenza and seasonal influenza, which can lead to virus mutations.
