Health officials said the 65-year-old was taken to the hospital after coming into contact with a flock of infected birds in his backyard.

A 65-year-old man in the southern state of Louisiana was taken to the hospital in critical condition after a car accident. bird flubecoming the first severe case reported in the United States.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Wednesday that the person had been in contact with a flock of infected birds in their backyard. No cases of human-to-human transmission have been reported.

“CDC has confirmed the first severe case of H5N1 avian influenza in the United States. While the investigation into the source of infection is ongoing, it has been determined that the patient was exposed to sick and dead birds in a backyard chicken flock,” the agency said.

“This case does not change CDC’s overall assessment of the immediate public health risk from H5N1 avian influenza, which remains low.”

Demit Daskalkis, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, also told reporters that the Louisiana case is the first linked to a non-commercial chicken flock.

While experts stress that the threat to public safety is currently minimal, the spread of the virus has raised questions about how outbreaks are tested and tracked.

As of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had tallied 61 Human cases of avian influenza confirmed in the United States, most related to exposure to sick people poultry or dairy cows.

Avian influenza (H1N1) is an endemic or recurring disease among wild birds. But its presence in livestock and domestic animals increases the likelihood of human infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the avian influenza virus was first detected in U.S. dairy cows on March 25. “This is the first time these avian influenza viruses have been found in dairy cows.” explain.

Shortly thereafter, on April 1, the first case of human-to-human transmission due to contact with a dairy cow was reported in Texas. Since then, 37 of 61 human avian influenza infections have been linked to infected dairy herds, including 33 in California.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 865 cattle are infected in 16 states. Wednesday, California Announce A state of emergency to try to stop the outbreak.

“This announcement is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to quickly respond to this outbreak,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

His statement emphasized that California has “the largest testing and surveillance system in the country to respond to the epidemic.”

“While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus,” Newsom said.

Some farmers oppose the push to test commercial livestock for bird flu, and the U.S. government itself has largely resisted mandatory testing, relying instead on voluntary efforts.

However, this position transfer December 6, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Announce It will test samples of raw, unpasteurized milk from cattle herds across the country.

The federal order requires any dairy farm, milk transporter or dairy processing facility to share raw milk samples upon request.

Herd owners are also asked to share any information related to the spread of disease in their herds to allow federal authorities to track the spread of avian influenza.

But the B3.13 genotype associated with cattle avian influenza is different from the strain in the Louisiana case, known as the D1.1 genotype. The CDC confirmed the case on Friday but did not release the results of its investigation until Wednesday.

In two cases, one a child in California and the other an adult in Missouri, the CDC has not yet determined how the patients became infected. one canadian teen He was also hospitalized with severe bird flu last month.

Bird flu has killed 123 million people poultry Since the epidemic first broke out in the United States in 2022.