Oct. 3 (UPI) — Two California farm workers have tested positive for bird flu, federal health officials said Thursday, marking the first two human cases of the virus in the state.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a release that both patients became infected with H5N1 bird flu through occupational exposure to infected dairy cows.
There is no link between the cases, according to the CDC, which said this suggests two separate instances of animal-to-human spread of the virus.
“CDC continues to collaborate closely with California and other state public health officials to support state-run efforts to control the spread of H5N1 from infected animals to humans,” it said in the release.
The announcement came after the California Department of Public Health reported the cases to the public, stating that both are Central Valley residents, and at least one had worked at a dairy facility experiencing an outbreak of the disease among cattle.
Both patients experienced mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis, and neither reported respiratory symptoms nor were hospitalized, it said.