Missouri patient infected with bird flu without animal contact

A patient hospitalized in Missouri has been infected with bird flu despite having no known contact with dairy cows or other animals associated with an ongoing outbreak, health officials said Friday.

This is the 14th person in the US sickened by bird flu since March, when the virus was detected in cows after infecting wild birds and mammals around the world. Another person was infected in 2022.

The risk to the general public remains low, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said in a statement. No unusual flu activity has been detected in the US, including Missouri, officials said.

The latest case was confirmed after the person, an adult, was admitted Aug. 22 with other medical conditions, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services officials said in a statement.

The person tested positive for influenza A, and CDC officials later confirmed it was bird flu. The person was given antiviral medication and has since recovered and gone home, health officials said. It’s unclear whether the hospitalization was caused by the bird flu infection or the person’s existing health conditions, said Lisa Cox, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health.

Health officials have not released the person’s name, age or hometown. No close contacts of the person were infected, CDC officials said.

The case raises questions about how the person was exposed to the virus. All previous infections in the US were among people who worked around cows and poultry.

Bird flu has been detected in nearly 200 dairy herds in 14 states, but not in Missouri, according to the Department of Agriculture. Bird flu has also been found in commercial and backyard flocks and in wild birds. The person did not report drinking raw milk, which may contain live virus, Cox said.

The investigation is ongoing, officials said.

It is the first case detected through routine influenza surveillance, rather than through targeted efforts to identify people infected with bird flu through exposure to infected cows and birds, officials said.

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