The state of California has detected a possible bird flu infection in a child in the Bay Area. The state reported that the child has not had contact with farm animals — which is the case for all but a few other confirmed cases in this growing outbreak — leaving unanswered questions regarding sources of exposure. "The child, who has been treated, is recovering at home," the report states.
The bird flu crisis, driven by the H5N1 virus, began several years ago, but ramped up considerably in April when dairy cows started becoming infected. Since then, 53 human cases have been reported across several states. All of these infections occurred in farmworkers who came into contact with infected cows or poultry, except one case in Missouri in which health officials could not track the origins of the infection.
Although there have been no confirmed occurrences of human-to-human transmission, each time the virus is transmitted, it has a greater chance of mutating in ways that make it more infectious to humans. The virus was also detected in pigs for the first time recently, which concerns experts because this gives the pathogen another mammalian reservoir that could raise the risk of a pandemic like COVID-19.
Last week, a teenager in British Columbia was infected with a different genotype of the H5N1 than what has been circulating in the U.S. While most cases are mild, commonly characterized by conjunctivitis and respiratory symptoms, this previously healthy teen was hospitalized from the virus in critical condition.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to test specimens from the Californian child to determine whether the strain of the virus has mutated to better infect humans and performing an investigation to see whether they came into contact with wild birds. All of the child’s family members along with other contacts at their daycare all tested negative for the virus.
“It's natural for people to be concerned, and we want to reinforce for parents, caregivers and families that based on the information and data we have, we don't think the child was infectious – and no human-to-human spread of bird flu has been documented in any country for more than 15 years," said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón.
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