At least four poultry workers in Colorado have contracted bird flu and are experiencing mild symptoms, the state’s health department announced on Sunday.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed four cases, and a fifth worker is presumed positive for the flu.
“The workers were culling poultry at a farm in northeast Colorado and exhibited mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis (pink eye) and common respiratory infection symptoms,” state health officials stated. They suspect these cases are a result of direct contact with infected poultry.
None of the five workers with bird flu have been hospitalized, and their cases are currently under investigation by the CDC.
Despite these outbreaks, Colorado health officials assured that properly cooked poultry is safe to eat. “The proper handling and cooking of poultry, meat, and eggs kills bacteria and viruses, including avian flu viruses,” they said.
This news brings the total number of people in the US infected with bird flu since 2022 to nine, with eight of those infections occurring this year.
The virus, which has been infecting mammals and birds since 2020, has been spreading across the US this year, affecting both poultry and cattle farms.
The CDC stated on Friday that the “current risk assessment for the general public remains low.”
“There are no signs of unexpected increases in flu activity otherwise in Colorado, or in other states affected by H5 bird flu outbreaks in cows and poultry,” it added. However, it described the human cases as “concerning” due to their “pandemic potential.”
“If these viruses were to change to spread easily from person to person, it could trigger a pandemic, though, to date, we have not seen genetic changes in the virus that would make it more likely to transmit between humans,” the CDC said.
Moderna announced earlier this month that it received $176 million from the U.S. government to begin trials for an mRNA H5N1 bird flu vaccine.