Michigan dairy worker diagnosed with bird flu in second recent human case

A Michigan dairy worker has tested positive for a bird flu strain tied to a recent outbreak among cows — the second US case of a human becoming infected with the virus in less than two months, according to state and federal officials.

The farmer, who has not been identified, suffered a mild eye infection —  symptoms similar to that of a Texas patient who was treated for the virus in early April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Both workers had contact with cattle before falling ill, the CDC said.

The Michigan dairy worker first tested negative for the highly pathogenic avian flu, known as H5N1, after submitting a nasal swab to health officials in the state.  

An eye swab, however, later tested positive at a CDC center in Atlanta. The worker has since recovered.

“Michigan has led a swift public health response, and we have been tracking this situation closely,” Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan, said in a press release.

“This virus is being closely monitored, and we have not seen signs of sustained human-to-human transmission at this point.”

The CDC said Wednesday the second infection doesn’t change its finding that the risk to the general public is low.

But the case could put more pressure on federal officials and the dairy industry to do more testing on cattle and people who work with livestock, the Washington Post reported.

Meanwhile, a child who had recently traveled to India was confirmed to be the first case of a human bird flu infection in Australia, health officials Down Under said Wednesday.

The child fell ill in March and reportedly suffered a severe infection but has since recovered.

In April, a Texas dairy worker was treated for bird flu shortly after the virus was found in US dairy cattle. Officials said the virus had likely been circulating among cows for four months. The worker  experienced eye inflammation and has also since recovered.

Overall, the Michigan patient was the third human bird flu case ever reported in the US. A poultry worker in Colorado also tested positive in 2022.

In other countries, bird flu cases have sometimes been more severe, resulting in pneumonia and even death.

The CDC said it plans to monitor the virus in dairy cattle and poultry, along with workers who come in contact with the animals, through the summer.