CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A second human case of bird flu has been confirmed in the United States since the virus was first confirmed in dairy cattle in late March, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.
The infection of a dairy worker in Michigan expands the outbreak of the H5N1 virus, though the CDC said the risk to the general public remains low.
A Texas dairy worker was confirmed to be infected in April. Michigan and Texas are among nine states to report bird flu in dairy herds.
Similar to the Texas case, the patient in Michigan only reported eye symptoms, the CDC said. The Michigan worker had mild symptoms and recovered, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
The worker had regular exposure to livestock infected with bird flu, Michigan said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it believes unpasteurized milk is the primary vector for transmitting the virus among cows, though officials do not know exactly how it spreads.
(Reporting by Tom Polansek, Julie Steenhuysen and Jasper Ward; Editing by Eric Beech and Franklin Paul and Anna Driver)
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