First H5N1 bird flu case in a child in the US confirmed in California

First US case of

H5N1 bird flu

has been reported in a California child, said The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The child reportedly experienced mild symptoms and was administered flu antivirals.
As per CDC, the initial specimen showed low levels of viral material and the follow-up testing results came as negative for H5 bird flu but positive for other common respiratory viruses.
The child hails from Alameda county, which includes Oakland and Berkeley, and attends day care. Other details remain unknown.

California Department of Public Health (CDPH) collected specimens from all household members having symptoms and the results came negative for H5 bird flu. CDC press note added that some family members were positive for the same common respiratory viruses as the child.
There has been no evidence of person-to-person spread of H5N1 bird flu from this child to others, as the tracing continues.

In all the cases of bird flu found in the United States, no person-to-person spread has been identified.

Bird flu has been spreading in the US since several months. CDC confirmed that since April 2024, avian influenza A (H5) virus infections in 52 people in the United States have been reported. Twenty-one of these cases were associated with exposure to avian influenza A(H5N1) virus – infected poultry and 30 were associated with exposure to infected dairy cows.

Avian influenza is a viral infection that usually spreads in birds but can sometimes spread to humans. Influenza A (H5N1) is the most common cause in humans. It can cause severe respiratory symptoms. People who work with poultry, waterfowl (like geese and ducks) and livestock are most at risk.
Symptoms of bird flu

include fatigue, cough, muscle aches, sore throat, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, stuffy or runny nose, shortness of breath (dyspnea), and pink eye (conjunctivitis). The virus can infect your upper respiratory tract and lungs and even spread to other parts of your body, like your brain.

According to NHS UK, bird flu typically spreads in humans when you touch an infected bird, their droppings or bedding, kill or prepare an infected poultry for cooking.
Human cases of bird flu are so far spread from poultry, live poultry markets, or dairy cattle so far. Symptoms of human bird flu begin within two to eight days of infection and at start may seem like common flu. Cough, fever, sore throat, muscle aches, headache and shortness of breath are other symptoms. As the condition turns worse, gut issues, breathing issues, or CNS changes are reported.