A Colorado prison inmate has tested positive for bird flu in the first recent confirmed case of a human infected with the disease.
DES MOINES, Iowa — A Colorado prison inmate has tested positive for bird flu in the first recent confirmed case of a human infected with the disease that has resulted in the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys, but federal officials say they still see little threat to the general public.
“The inmate was part of a prison work crew composed of inmates nearing release which had been working at the farm before a case of bird flu was confirmed there on April 19,” said Lisa Wiley, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections. When bird flu was detected at the farm in Montrose County, the inmates were asked to help in the process of killing and removing the birds.
Signals that could raise the public health risk might include multiple reports of virus infections in people from exposure to birds, or identification of spread from one infected person to a close contact. The CDC also is monitoring the bird flu virus for genetic changes, which could indicate the virus is adapting to spread more readily from birds to people or other mammals.
The CDC said it has tracked the health of more than 2,500 people who have been exposed to H5N1 virus-infected birds but that this was the only confirmed case to date.
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