SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reported Thursday it's investigating the state’s first two human cases of H5N1 bird flu in the Central Valley.
The CDPH could not identify the people, their age, their gender or approximate location but did say the two had mild symptoms and they had contact with infected cattle in the Central Valley. The risk of bird flu to the public is reportedly low, though the risk increases for people who interact with infected animals.
"Ongoing health checks of individuals who interact with potentially infected animals helped us quickly detect and respond to this possible human case. Fortunately, as we’ve seen in other states with human infections, the individual has experienced mild symptoms,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. “We want to emphasize that the risk to the general public is low, and people who interact with potentially infected animals should take prevention measures. CDPH continues to support local health departments and farms with prevention recommendations, health checks and guidance on proper notification, testing and treatment."
They add pasteurized milk and dairy products are still safe to consume as the pasteurization process inactivates bird flu. Additionally, milk from sick cows isn’t allowed in the public milk supply.
As for the infected individuals, they are staying home and being treated with antivirals.
The CDPH has tracked bird flu and prepared for possible infections since it was first detected in poultry in 2022. They’ve distributed PPR to dairy farms and farmworkers, offered health checks and surveilled wastewater.
Anyone exposed to an infected animal should watch for the following symptoms for 10 days: eye redness, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing and fever.
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