US CDC issues advisory for bird flu crisis in country

The United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday (Apr 5) issued a health alert for the ongoing bird flu crisis in the country. 

In the advisory, the CDC talked about a recent case of a Texas farm worker testing positive for H5N1 bird flu.

The CDC added that there was no sign of person-to-person spread of the virus at this time.

The CDC further said that the infected farm worker in Texas had exposure to presumably infected cows.

The patient reported eye redness, or conjunctivitis, as their only symptom and is recovering.

Recommendations to avoid getting infected:

Highlighting that the current risk to the public remained low, people with close or long unprotected exposures to infected birds or other animals, or environments contaminated by infected birds or other animals, are at greater risk of infection.

The CDC issued a few precautions:

> People should avoid unprotected exposure to sick or dead animals, including wild birds, poultry, other domesticated birds, and other wild or domesticated animals including cows.

> People should avoid unprotected exposures to animal poop, bedding (litter), raw milk, or materials that have been touched by, or close to, birds or other animals with suspected or confirmed H5N1 bird flu.

> The CDC said that people should not prepare or consume uncooked or undercooked food or related uncooked food products, such as unpasteurized (raw) milk, or raw cheeses, from animals with suspected infection.

> Amid concerns about how safe drinking commercial milk is, the CDC said on Friday that it is safe to drink such milk as it is pasteurised before entering the market. Pasteurisation kills bacteria and viruses, like influenza viruses, in milk, it added.

> It is also safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry.

The CDC also mentioned some recommendations for farmers and livestock owners.

It said that such people should avoid unprotected direct physical contact or close exposure with sick or dead birds or other animals, carcasses, faeces, milk, or litter from sick birds or other animals potentially infected or confirmed to be infected with the virus.