Tulare County Public Health, in coordination with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has confirmed two human cases of H5N1 bird flu in individuals who had contact with infected cattle at two separate Tulare County dairy farms. Both cases have mild symptoms, are being treated with antiviral medications, and are isolating at home.
“Although there are now confirmed human cases of bird flu in our region, the risk to the general public remains low,” stated Dr. Thomas Overton, Deputy County Health Officer for Tulare County Public Health.
“People who interact with potentially infected animals are at higher risk of getting bird flu and we continue our efforts to provide personal protective equipment for those workers. It is extremely important for those who work on dairy and poultry farms to take precautions and follow public health guidance to prevent future human cases of infection on facilities experiencing bird flu outbreaks.”
The virus was first detected in California in sick dairy cattle in August, and public health officials have been closely monitoring workers for illness at dairy facilities experiencing an outbreak of bird flu among their cattle herds.
People who interact with infected animals are at higher risk of getting bird flu. Public Health recommends that personal protective equipment, or PPE, such as respirators (N95 masks), eye protection (face shields or safety goggles), and gloves be worn by anyone working with animals or materials that are infected or potentially infected with the bird flu virus. Wearing PPE helps prevent infection. There has been no evidence of human-to-human transmissions of the H5N1 bird flu virus. There is no known link or contact between the two confirmed human cases, suggesting only animal-to-human spread of the virus in California.
Tulare County Public Health has been actively working alongside industry partners in distributing PPE for farmworkers and, to date, has distributed over 1.1 million pieces of PPE to over 150 facilities.
Pasteurized milk and dairy products continue to be safe to consume, as pasteurization is fully effective at inactivating the bird flu virus. As an added precaution, and according to longstanding state and federal requirements, milk from sick cows is not permitted in the public milk supply.
People exposed to infected animals should monitor for the following symptoms for 10 days after their last exposure: eye redness (conjunctivitis), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing, and fever. If they start to feel sick, they should immediately isolate, notify Tulare County Public Health, and work with public health and healthcare providers to get timely testing and treatment. Exposed workers can notify Tulare County Public Health at (559) 685-5720 or [email protected].
Tulare County Public Health recommends all residents — especially workers at risk for exposure to bird flu — receive a seasonal flu vaccine. Although the seasonal flu vaccine will not protect against bird flu, it can decrease the risk of being infected with both viruses at the same time and reduce the chance of severe illness from seasonal flu.
For the latest information on the national bird flu response, see the CDC’s Bird Flu Response Update. To report an unusual number of sick livestock or you suspect Bird Flu in your livestock, call the California Department of Food and Agriculture at 1-866-922-2473.