At least four poultry workers contracted bird flu following exposure to sick animals at a commercial egg farm in Colorado, U.S. health officials reported Sunday. A fifth worker also tested positive, but their results are pending further review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An investigation is ongoing to determine how the virus reached the workers, but epidemiologists suspect it was due to working directly with infected poultry. Meanwhile, Oklahoma reported an infected dairy herd last week for the first time, showing a larger bird flu outbreak happening across the U.S.
The workers were culling poultry in northeast Colorado in response to a recent bird flu outbreak and exhibited mild, flu-like symptoms, including pink eye and common respiratory issues, according to the state. None of the workers were hospitalized and no additional tests are pending at this time.
The CDC sent a nine-person field team to help Colorado manage the virus infecting animals and humans, Reuters reported.
Colorado recently reported a large bird flu outbreak at a commercial egg farm in Weld County, where 1.8 million birds died as a result. A dairy worker in the state also contracted bird flu earlier this month as Colorado sees some of the highest number of human and cattle cases in the country.
“The risk to most people remains low. Avian flu viruses are currently spreading among animals, but they are not adapted to spread from person to person,” Dr. Rachel Herlihy, an epidemiologist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said in a statement earlier this month.
“Right now, the most important thing to know is that people who have regular exposure to infected animals are at increased risk of infection and should take precautions when they have contact with sick animals,” Herlihy added.
