US confirms two human bird flu cases in Washington state

The CDC confirms bird flu in two Washington poultry workers and ruled out infections in Missouri healthcare staff.

On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that two out of four presumptive positive bird flu cases among poultry farm workers in Washington state have tested positive. 

Of the 31 confirmed U.S. human cases of bird flu, all but the Missouri case have involved farm workers exposed to infected poultry or dairy cows. Officials continue to emphasize that the general public's risk from bird flu remains low.

The CDC anticipates additional confirmed cases in Washington as more presumptive positives undergo confirmatory testing, Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah noted in a press call. Serological testing of healthcare workers who interacted with the infected Missouri individual also confirmed they were not infected.

Although the investigation in Missouri ruled out person-to-person transmission, testing on a household contact of the affected individual indicated a potential infection. The CDC suspects that both individuals may have been exposed to an unidentified sick animal.

To support bird flu response efforts, CDC teams have been deployed to California, Michigan, Colorado, and Washington, according to Shah.

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