WYOMING — The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) announced on Friday, Feb. 14, that the state’s first case of H5N1 avian influenza in a human has been confirmed in Platte County, in the southeastern part of the state.
The third confirmed hospitalization related to H5N1 in the country is an older woman, WDH’s announcement states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the diagnosis to the WDH on Friday afternoon.
“While this is a significant development as bird flu activity is monitored in Wyoming and across the country, it is not something we believe requires a high level of concern among most Wyoming residents,” Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist, said in the announcement.
The hospitalized woman reportedly has health conditions that made her more vulnerable to illness, and it’s likely that she was exposed to the virus from direct contacted with “an infected poultry flock at her home,” WDH shared.
“Experts continue to track the spread of H5N1 through wild birds, poultry and dairy cattle across the country,” Harrist said in the statement. “A small number of people have also been infected. Most of those confirmed cases involved on-the-job close contact with poultry or cattle and mild symptoms. Unfortunately, this patient’s experience has been much more serious.”
WDH emphasized that there has not yet been a documented case of human-to-human H5N1 virus transmission in the U.S.
“Our staff has followed up with other people who had contact with the flock and the patient, and will continue working with state and national experts to monitor the situation carefully for Wyoming,” Harrist said.
WDH calls the current public health risk “low,” but nonetheless encourages following these precautions:
- Do not eat uncooked or undercooked food; cook poultry, eggs and other animal products to the proper temperature and avoid cross-contamination between raw and cooked food.
- Avoid direct contact with wild birds.
- Avoid contact with wild or domestic birds that appear ill or have died. If symptoms are observed in birds, immediately contact a veterinarian, or report sick domestic birds to the Wyoming Livestock Board at 307-777-8270. If contact with the sick or dead birds is necessary, use of personal protection clothing and items is strongly recommended.
- Avoid unprotected direct physical contact or close exposure with cattle and materials potentially infected or confirmed to be infected with bird flu.
- Do not eat or drink raw milk or products made with raw milk.
Report sick or dead wild birds to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department by calling 307-745-5865. Learn more about the bird flu from the CDC. Those who have poultry can see specific tips at https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/groups/index.html.
