The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Friday the first case of infection with the H5N1 bird flu virus in a child suffering from mild symptoms and recovering from his illness.
The California Department of Public Health reported the case on Tuesday, but said there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus. The child's family members tested negative.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that there is currently no evidence of person-to-person transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus from this child to others, but said it will continue contact tracing.
The child received influenza antivirals, and low levels of viral material were found in the initial sample, the agency said.
She added that a follow-up test conducted on the child several days later came back negative for bird flu but was positive for other common respiratory viruses.
To date, there has been no person-to-person spread associated with any of the H5N1 bird flu cases reported in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The agency stressed that the risks for the general public remain low.
Reuters
Including this child's case, 55 human cases of H5 bird flu have been reported in the country this year, including 29 in California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most cases of bird flu in the United States have occurred among farmworkers who have been in contact with poultry or cattle infected with the virus.
Because bird flu viruses can mutate and gain the ability to spread easily between humans, California public health officials have previously said they are carefully monitoring animal and human infections.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state departments urged residents to avoid contact with sick or dead wild birds.
