A Missouri resident has tested positive for bird flu even though there is no evidence the person came into contact with an animal infected with the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Friday evening news release .
Acquiring the virus without animal contact raises safety concerns because it may be an indication that the potentially quite deadly virus could develop the ability to transmit from human-to-human, although the CDC still considers such a risk “low” at the moment.
The person is the 14th infected with H5N1 in the U.S. this year and the first to be hospitalized and to test positive without coming into known contact with an infected animal. The others, who were all described as having “mild” symptoms, had worked on farms known to have H5N1-infected cattle or poultry.
It’s unclear how the Missouri patient was infected or how sick the virus made them. The person, who has not been identified, was hospitalized Aug. 22 and treated with an anti-viral medication after a flu test turned positive. When that test didn’t match the seasonal flu, it was sent for further testing and the H5N1 result was confirmed Thursday, the CDC said. The person has since been released from the hospital and recovered.