US News

California child first reported case of bird flu in a US minor

By
Aneeta Bhole
Published Nov. 23, 2024, 3:20 p.m. ET

A California kid is the US’ first reported case of bird flu in a minor. 

The child experienced mild symptoms and was treated with antiviral medication and is recovering, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement Friday. 

There is no evidence of spread of the virus to other people and those in the child’s household who reported similar symptoms tested negative.

picture of child sneezing
A California kid is the US’ first reported case of bird flu in a minor. They had mild symptoms and was treated with antiviral medication and is recovering, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. Ermolaev Alexandr – stock.adobe.com

The child and household members did test positive for other common respiratory viruses.

It remains unclear how the child contracted the disease, according to health officials, who are investigating a “possible exposure to wild birds.”

The CDC confirmed the child attends day care and lives in Alameda County, which includes Oakland and surrounding communities, but no other details were released. 

It brings the number of bird flu cases in the US to 55 this year, including 29 in California. Most of the confirmed cases are in farmworkers who tested positive with mild symptoms — except for an adult in Missouri who had no known contact with an infected animal. 

Health officials confirmed after the Missouri case that there was no evidence of human-to-human spread.

The CDC maintains the risk for the general public remains low.

picture of container with bird flu positive test
It brings the number of US bird flu cases this year to 55, including 29 in California, most of whom were farmworkers that tested positive with mild symptoms. REUTERS

Bird flu can cause a variety of symptoms in humans — from none or mild illness to fatal.

There have been no recorded deaths in the US.

Human infections occur when the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled.

Signs and symptoms

  • eye redness (conjunctivitis)
  • mild flu-like upper respiratory symptoms
  • pneumonia requiring hospitalization
  • fever (temperature of 100ºF [37.8ºC] or greater) or feeling feverish*
  • cough
  • sore throat
  • runny or stuff nose
  • muscle or body aches
  • headaches
  • fatigue
  • shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

*Fever may not always be present

Source: CDC

H5N1 bird flu has been spreading rapidly in the US among wild birds and, in some cases, can spread to other animals too.

The first known US case was recorded in April 2022 when a person in Colorado had direct exposure to infected poultry. The second known case was reported this March in a Texas dairy farm worker who contracted the illness from infected cattle.

The virus has killed at least 280 million poultry birds worldwide since 2021 and caused the largest sudden loss of the world’s wild birds in decades.

Experts have warned there is a significant need for more testing and training for farm workers to protect against the illness.

A British Columbia teen was also recently hospitalized with bird flu, Canadian officials have said.

  翻译：