The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today reported four more probable avian flu infections in dairy workers, as it awaits final confirmation from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on an earlier probable case identified in state testing.
The newly identified potential cases came from proactive testing over a 3-day period, the CDPH said. All of the sick people had contact with infected cattle on nine different farms.
So far, all patients have had mild symptoms such as conjunctivitis. None of the people were hospitalized.
Shipping delays and federal holiday slow confirmation
Shipping delays late last week and today’s federal holiday mean that the specimens are expected to arrive at the CDC early this week.
California reported its first outbreak in dairy cattle in the Central Valley in late August, but the state—the nation’s largest dairy producer—has quickly become the hardest hit. So far, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed 100 H5N1 cases in dairy herds.
If the CDC confirms California's five probable cases, the state’s number of infections in dairy workers would rise to 11. And if confirmed, the new cases would lift the national total since the first of the year to 25.
