In the United States, a new case of bird flu in a human has been detected. This is the first detected without known contact of the infected person with an animal among the 14 cases reported this year.
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So far, cases of bird flu detected in UNITED STATES came from the agricultural world. But on August 22, an adult was hospitalized in Missouri, in the center of the country, and changed this trend. Following the hospitalization of the man, tests were conducted and it is indeed the disease, except that the patient had not had contact with an animal.
This detail worries health authorities who fear that the virus, which circulates between mammals, could mutate to transmit itself from one human to another. According to the Center for Disease Control, no transmission has been identified among the patient’s relatives or other people.
“ It is essential that investigations continue »
The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomed the U.S. national surveillance system’s ability to detect and treat this patient with antiviral drugs and encouraged continued investigations into the patient’s exposure. It is essential that investigations into the patient’s exposure continue, as indicated by federal and regional authorities. “, underlines to the AFP Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, responsible for the preparation and prevention of epidemics and pandemics at the WHO, who has been at the forefront of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, “ to help with prevention and subsequent responses. »
WHO “ Strongly supports U.S. efforts to monitor zoonotic influenza “, adds the doctor, considering that ” Enhanced disease surveillance in animals is essential to protect animal and human health “.
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In the United States, an outbreak of bird flu was detected last spring with a particularity: this disease, which mainly affects poultry and birds, had passed to a Texan cow, which had transmitted it to a human. A world first. This time, no infections have been reported in Missouri cattle herds. The risk to the population remains low, explains the Center for Disease Control.
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