Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1), also known as H5N1 bird flu, has for the past few years. This March, US officials detected it in in several states. Later that month, a farm worker who was exposed to dairy cattle in Texas tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in a .
The person developed conjunctivitis and was treated with an influenza antiviral. The farm worker is the second person in the US with a confirmed infection; the first tested positive in 2022 in Colorado. Despite this recent human infection, the risk to the general public remains low, the CDC said.
Given the recent human infection, clinicians should in people with acute respiratory symptoms, including conjunctivitis, who have been in contact with birds, livestock, or other animals within 10 days before symptoms began.
Published Online: April 26, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.6720