At least four poultry workers in Colorado have contracted bird flu and are experiencing mild symptoms, the state’s health department announced Sunday. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment stated that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed four cases, with a fifth worker presumed positive for the flu.
The affected workers were engaged in culling poultry at a farm in northeast Colorado and showed mild symptoms such as conjunctivitis (pink eye) and common respiratory infection symptoms, according to state health officials. Epidemiologists believe these cases are directly linked to the workers’ contact with infected poultry.
None of the five workers with bird flu have required hospitalization, and their cases are under investigation by the CDC.
Despite these outbreaks, Colorado health officials reassured the public that it is safe to consume properly cooked poultry. “The proper handling and cooking of poultry, meat, and eggs kills bacteria and viruses, including avian flu viruses,” they stated.
This latest development brings the total number of bird flu cases in the US to nine since 2022, with eight of those infections occurring this year. The virus, which has been affecting both mammals and birds since 2020, has spread across the US, impacting poultry and cattle farms alike.
On Friday, the CDC stated that their “current risk assessment for the general public remains low,” and noted that there are no significant increases in flu activity in Colorado or other states affected by H5 bird flu outbreaks. However, they described the human cases as “concerning” due to their “pandemic potential.” The CDC warned that if the virus were to mutate to spread more easily between people, it could trigger a pandemic, although no such genetic changes have been observed so far.
Earlier this month, Moderna announced it had received $176 million from the U.S. government to commence trials for an mRNA H5N1 bird flu vaccine.