An individual in Texas is being handled for hen flu, the second human case of an sickness attributable to a extremely virulent virus that has rampaged by sickened dairy cows in 5 states in latest weeks, federal and state officers stated Monday.The affected person, who skilled eye irritation as their solely symptom, was examined for flu late final week, with confirmatory testing carried out by the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention over the weekend. The affected person is being handled with the antiviral drug oseltamivir. The case doesn’t change the danger for most people, which stays low. The particular person had direct publicity to dairy cattle presumed to be contaminated with avian influenza, Texas officers stated Monday.The case has alarmed illness trackers monitoring for the worst-case situation: human-to-human transmission of the pathogen, which has occurred occasionally worldwide and usually amongst relations engaged in work with animals. And it raises questions on whether or not this pathogen is now extra simply transmitted amongst mammals.However federal officers stated the an infection doesn’t change the well being danger evaluation for hen flu among the many U.S. basic public, a danger that the CDC considers to be low. Nevertheless, folks with shut or extended, unprotected exposures to contaminated birds or different animals (together with livestock), or to environments contaminated by contaminated birds or different animals, are at better danger of an infection.In 2022, an individual in Colorado examined optimistic for a similar pressure of avian flu. The particular person had direct publicity to poultry and was concerned in culling poultry that had presumptive H5N1 hen flu. The particular person reported fatigue for a couple of days as their solely symptom and recovered, in keeping with the CDC.Nonetheless, any time the virus adjustments — its latest emergence in cattle and the chance of cow-to-cow transmission represents a change — “that makes me sit up and take discover,” stated Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist on the Johns Hopkins Middle for Well being Safety.There are a number of methods the virus might evolve, illness specialists have stated: It might stay primarily a risk to animal well being after which recede, because it has previously. It might proceed to flow into amongst animals, however not routinely infect people. Or, within the worst case, it evolves to unfold simply between folks and turns into the subsequent pandemic, Rivers stated.The virus was detected in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas final week and has since unfold to further herds in no less than 5 states, including proof that the virus could also be spreading cow-to-cow. The pressure has been confirmed in Michigan, and presumptive optimistic exams have additionally been reported from Idaho and New Mexico, federal officers stated Friday.Epidemiologists have been nervous concerning the rising variety of mammals contaminated by extremely pathogenic avian influenza — generally generally known as HPAI — world wide. Avian influenza has been spreading world wide since 2020 and has been documented to contaminate dozens of different mammalian species, but it surely hardly ever spreads between them. Final month, HPAI was present in a child goat in Minnesota, the primary case in U.S. livestock.Scientists are involved that the virus could have mutated in ways in which might enable it to raised infect folks. In an announcement Friday, the U.S. Division of Agriculture stated it has not recognized adjustments to the virus that may make it extra transmissible to people.“Whereas circumstances amongst people in direct contact with contaminated animals are potential, this means that the present danger to the general public stays low,” the company assertion stated.Texas officers are offering steering to affected dairies about how one can decrease staff’ publicity and the way individuals who work with affected cattle can monitor for flu-like signs and get examined. Sicknesses in folks with H5N1 flu infections have ranged from gentle, akin to eye an infection and higher respiratory signs, to extreme, akin to pneumonia and dying.Texas has issued a well being alert asking health-care suppliers round affected dairies to be vigilant for potential human circumstances and is offering testing and remedy suggestions.It is a creating story and will likely be up to date.