Bird flu confirmed in older Wyoming woman who likely had contact with infected flock at her home

An older woman in southeast Wyoming is hospitalized with bird flu, state health department officials said Friday.

It’s the state’s first human case of Type A H5N1 influenza, which is spreading through animals and some people. Nearly 70 people in the U.S. have been reported infected with bird flu in the last year, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though researchers and studies suggest that’s likely an undercount.

The woman, who lives in Platte County, Wyoming, likely was infected through direct contact with an infected poultry flock at her home, the state health department said in a news release. She has other health conditions and is hospitalized in another state.

Dr. Alexia Harrist, the state health officer and state epidemiologist, said Wyoming residents shouldn’t have “a high level of concern” about the human case, the test result for which was confirmed by a CDC on Friday.

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Most confirmed human cases of bird flu across the U.S. came with mild symptoms.

“Unfortunately, this patient’s experience has been much more serious,” Harrist said in the news release.

A new study published by the CDC showed bird flu has silently spread from animals to some veterinarians.

Bird flu has been spreading in wild birds in the U.S. since 2022. The virus was detected for the first time in U.S. dairy cows last year. It has infected more than 960 cattle herds in 16 states.

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