First cow-to-human case of D1.1 avian flu strain is confirmed
CDC warns bird flu virus showing mutations in severe cases
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel explains what's behind human cases of bird flu in the U.S.
A new type of bird flu has been detected in a human dairy worker in Nevada.
This strain is different from the version that’s been spreading in herds since last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The case was apparently mild, as the Churchill County dairy worker was not hospitalized and has recovered, the Associated Press reported, citing health officials.
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The person mainly experienced eye redness and irritation, similar to most bird flu cases associated with dairy cows, according to the AP.
While the new bird flu strain, D1.1, has been reported in more than a dozen humans exposed to infected poultry, this is the first cow-to-human case.
This new strain is different from the version that’s been spreading in herds since last year, the AP noted. (iStock)
In a press release addressing the situation, the Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) confirmed there is no evidence of this virus being spread from the infected individual to other people.
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The CDC noted on its website that bird flu’s risk to the general public remains low.
Those in constant and close contact with cows, poultry and other animals are encouraged to wear protective equipment. (iStock)
But those who are in constant and close contact with cows, poultry and other animals are at a higher risk — and are encouraged to wear protective equipment and take necessary precautions.
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Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax in San Francisco, commented in a statement to Fox News Digital that within a week of the D1.1 strain being detected in Nevada cows, there was already a human infection.
"This isn’t the first D1.1 human infection: It has already resulted in an American death, a severe illness, and some other infections in five other states," the expert said.
The Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) confirmed there is no evidence of the virus being spread from the infected individual to other people. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)
"The significance of this new infection is to reveal how quickly we go from cattle infections to human spillover."
Glanville confirmed that the cattle infections of the D1.1 strain prove that it contains mammalian adaptive mutations.
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"While we have yet to see human-to-human transmission, with such rapid progression from cattle to human cases, it may only be a matter of time before an H5N1 pandemic," he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the CDC for further comment.
Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.
