US - California H5N1 human cases - October 3, 2024+, 38 CDC confirmed + 1 CDC probable + 3 (Stanislaus&LA counties, SF city) = 40 known cases

[Pathfinder]

Five California farmworkers have mild cases of bird flu, says state
...
By Chuck Abbott Published on October 10, 2024

On the same day the CDC confirmed the third human case of bird flu in California, state officials said Wednesday that they had identified two more possible infections, also farmworkers in the Central Valley. In less than six weeks, California has become the U.S. hot spot for bird flu, with one-third of all the infected dairy herds in the country and all of the human cases since Sept. 6.
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All five of the California cases were dairy farm workers who experienced mild symptoms, including eye redness or discharge. None were hospitalized. Not counting the two latest illnesses, 17 people have been infected by the avian flu virus this year. All but one, reported in Missouri on Sept. 6, were dairy or poultry workers.
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“There is no known link or contact between any of California’s confirmed or possible cases, continuing to suggest only animal-to-human spread of the virus in the state,” said the state health department. “All individuals had contact with animals at different farms.”
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Since the first outbreak of bird flu in California dairy cattle was reported on Aug. 30, 96 herds have become infected, the most in any state. Colorado is second, with 64 herds. The virus has been confirmed in 296 herds in 14 states, according to USDA data.
...

https://www.agriculture.com/five-california-farmworkers-have-mild-cases-of-bird-flu-says-state-8726128

[Commonground]

Fourth Human Bird Flu Case Confirmed in California


October 10, 2024
NR24-032



Risk to general public remains low, individuals most at risk are those who interact with infected animals

What You Need To Know: CDPH continues to work with federal, state and local partners to monitor and respond to human cases of bird flu in the state. The risk to the general public remains low, although individuals who interact with infected animals are at higher risk of getting bird flu.



Sacramento – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reports that a fourth human case of bird flu has been confirmed in California. The case was identified in a Central Valley individual who had contact with infected dairy cattle and additional testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the case as positive. All four individuals had contact with infected animals at four separate farms.

CDPH has also been notified on two additional possible human cases, also in the Central Valley. Those specimens have been sent to CDC for confirmatory testing.

There continues to be no known link or contact between any of California’s confirmed cases, continuing to suggest only animal-to-human spread of the virus in the state. All cases so far have experienced mild symptoms, including eye redness or discharge (conjunctivitis). None of the individuals have been hospitalized.

While the risk to the general public remains low, additional human cases of bird flu are expected to be identified and confirmed in California among individuals who have contact with infected dairy cattle. CDPH continues to work closely with local health jurisdictions to identify, track, test, confirm, and treat possible and confirmed human cases of bird flu.

Based on CDC’s genomic sequencing of California’s first two human bird flu cases, there is no evidence to suggest an increased ability for the virus to infect or spread between people and no known reduced susceptibility to antiviral medications.

More information on CDPH’s response is at our website at H5N1 Bird Flu Situation.

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR24-032.aspx

[Commonground]

California Department of Food and Agriculture

October 10, 2024: H5N1 Bird Flu Confirmed in Ninety-Nine Dairies in California


SACRAMENTO, CA — Following an investigation by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and rapid disease detection by California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) has confirmed H5N1 Bird Flu in ninety-nine dairies in Central California. CDFA has implemented a surveillance strategy with the goal of finding affected farms as early as possible. Early detection provides the opportunity to work with farms to quickly implement enhanced biosecurity, cow care, and employee protection.

Bird Flu in Humans
CDPH has confirmed three human cases of bird flu in California and identified two new possible cases. All individuals had contact with animals at different farms and all have experienced mild symptoms, including eye redness or discharge (conjunctivitis). None of the individuals have been hospitalized. While the risk to the general public remains low, additional human cases of bird flu are expected to be identified and confirmed in California among individuals who have contact with infected dairy cattle. CDPH recommends that personal protective equipment (PPE), such as eye protection (face shields or safety goggles), respirators (N95 masks), and gloves be worn by anyone working with animals or materials that are infected or potentially infected with the bird flu virus. Wearing PPE helps prevent infection. Please see CDPH’s Worker Protection from Bird Flu for full PPE guidance. For the latest updates from CDPH, visit Novel Influenza (Flu) (ca.gov).

continued: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS/Animal_Health/HPAI.html

[Commonground]

State Reports Six Human Bird Flu Cases Now Confirmed in California
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reports that a total of six human bird flu cases have been confirmed in California.

October 11, 2024

All individuals had direct contact with infected dairy cows in the Central Valley

What You Need To Know: CDPH continues to work with federal, state and local partners to monitor and respond to human cases of bird flu in the state. The risk to the general public remains low, although individuals who interact with infected animals are at higher risk of getting bird flu.


Sacramento – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reports that a total of six human bird flu cases have been confirmed in California. The cases are all in Central Valley individuals who had direct contact with infected dairy cattle and were confirmed after additional testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Two of the human cases originated from the same Central Valley farm, where both individuals had extensive exposure to infected dairy cattle. Given the amount of exposure to infected cows, evidence continues to suggest only animal-to-human spread of the virus in California.

Based on CDC’s genomic sequencing of California’s first two human bird flu cases, there is no evidence to suggest an increased ability for the virus to infect or spread between people and no known reduced susceptibility to antiviral medications.

In addition to the six confirmed cases, CDPH has also been notified of one additional possible human case, also in the Central Valley. That specimen has been sent to CDC for confirmatory testing.

All six individuals with confirmed cases of bird flu have experienced mild symptoms, including eye redness or discharge (conjunctivitis). All have been treated according to CDC guidance and none of the individuals have been hospitalized.

While the risk to the general public remains low, additional human cases of bird flu are expected to be identified and confirmed in California among individuals who have regular contact with infected dairy cattle. CDPH continues to work closely with local health jurisdictions to identify, track, test, confirm, and treat possible and confirmed human cases of bird flu.

More information on CDPH’s response is at our Bird Flu website.

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR24-033.aspx

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CDC A(H5N1) Bird Flu Response Update October 11, 2024


Situation Update


October 11, 2024 – CDC continues to respond to the public health challenge posed by a multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, or "H5N1 bird flu," in dairy cows, poultry and other animals in the United States. CDC is working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), state public health and animal health officials, and other partners using a One Health approach.

Since April 2024, 20 human cases of avian influenza A(H5) virus infection have been reported in the United States; 21 in total since 2022. Ten of these cases were associated with exposure to H5N1 bird flu-infected poultry and nine were associated with exposure to sick or infected dairy cows 12. This includes six cases in California, two of which were confirmed by CDC on Thursday, October 3, two on Wednesday, October 9, and two on Thursday, October 10. All California cases occurred in dairy workers on affected farms. All of the California cases are from different farms, except for one case reported this week, which was from a farm that had a case reported previously. The two cases from the same affected farm worked on different parts of the farm and are not close contacts of each other. The epidemiology of the situation continues to suggest sporadic instances of animal-to-human spread. All six California cases are reported to have experienced mild symptoms, including eye redness or discharge (conjunctivitis), and none were hospitalized. Additional testing is ongoing in California, and presumptive positives are being routinely forwarded to CDC for confirmatory testing. Going forward, CDC will track and report confirmed cases, by state and source of exposure, in a table on its website. The source of the exposure in one case, which was reported by Missouri on September 6, could not be determined. Serological tests of the contacts of the Missouri case are pending. CDC believes the immediate risk to the general public from H5N1 bird flu remains low, but people with exposure to infected animals are at higher risk of infection.

-snip-
Laboratory Update
CDC has performed genetic sequencing on samples from the two human cases of H5 bird flu in California confirmed on Thursday, October 3, and one of two human cases in California confirmed on Wednesday, October 9. Efforts to sequence additional cases are in progress. The results confirm that all three viruses sequenced to date are clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 viruses, closely related to those detected in dairy cattle. The whole genome was sequenced from one of the first two cases (A/California/135/2024) and was confirmed to be a B3.13 genotype virus.

CDC has publicly posted in GISAID and submitted to GenBank the HA, NA, and NS gene segments for A/California/134/2024 (GISAID EPI_ISL_19463619; NCBI_PQ435213- PQ435215) and the whole genome sequence for A/California/135/2024 (GISAID EPI_ISL_19463618; NCBI_PQ435216-PQ435223). Additional sequencing data will be posted as it becomes available.

While the hemagglutinins (HAs) of the three sequenced viruses contained new amino acid changes compared to closely-related candidate vaccine viruses (CVVs) – two in A/California/135/2024, three in A/California/134/2024, and three in A/California/146/2024 – none contained changes associated with increased infectivity or transmissibility among humans. CDC identified no changes associated with reduced susceptibility to neuraminidase inhibitors or polymerase acidic inhibitors, nor were there any changes associated with mammalian adaptation in other gene segments in samples from any of the cases based on currently available sequence data. CDC successfully isolated virus from samples from the first two confirmed cases in California. Attempts to isolate virus from subsequent specimens are pending.

Continued: https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/spotlig...-10112024.html

[Commonground]

Monitoring for Avian Influenza A(H5) Virus In Wastewater
This interactive map shows current site-level data for avian influenza A(H5) viral RNA detections in wastewater. Each dot on the map represents a wastewater sampling site. For each site, results are reported as "H5 Detection" when any of the samples were positive during the week reported.

Time Period: September 29 - October 05, 2024

https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/h5-monitoring/index.html

[Commonground]

From Post #20
CDC A(H5N1) Bird Flu Response Update October 11, 2024

"Going forward, CDC will track and report confirmed cases, by state and source of exposure, in a table on its website."

Table 10/11/24

[Pathfinder]

Current H5N1 Bird Flu Situation


Updated October 14, 2024

• The current risk to the public remains low.
• No person-to-person spread of bird flu has been detected in California.
• People with close contact to infected birds or other animals, such as dairy cows, poultry, or wildlife, have a greater risk of infection.
• Pasteurized milk and dairy products are safe to consume. Pasteurization inactivates the bird flu virus.
• For up-to-date information on bird flu detections in livestock see CDFA Bird Flu Virus in Livestock or poultry see CDFA Avian Influenza.

Human Cases in California

Confirmed Human Cases
6

Presumptive Human Cases
5

These numbers were last updated on October 14, 2024.

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https://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/cid/dcdc/pages/Bird-Flu.aspx

[Commonground]

hat-tip: https://hogvet51.substack.com/p/news...reports-5-more

State Continues Proactive Testing for Human Cases of Bird Flu; Reports 6 Confirmed, 5 Possible Cases

October 14, 2024

acramento – As California continues to proactively test symptomatic individuals for bird flu, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reports that new possible positive human bird flu cases have been identified in the Central Valley since last Friday. To date, the state has identified six confirmed and five possible human cases. The individuals had direct contact with infected dairy cattle at nine different farms.

The five possible human cases are pending confirmatory testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Due to shipping delays late last week, and today’s federal holiday, the possible (or presumptive positive) specimens are expected to arrive at the CDC early this week.
snip-
All individuals with confirmed or possible cases of bird flu have experienced mild symptoms, including eye redness or discharge (conjunctivitis), and have been treated according to CDC guidance. None of the individuals have been hospitalized.

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR24-034.aspx

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H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation

Current situation

25Total Reported Human Cases in the United States During 2024

https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html

[Commonground]

Speculation:


JusDayDa
@JusDayDa
·
58m
Replying to
@HelenBranswell
and
@CDCgov
And thanks to
@0bFuSc8
we know that 5 of first six are in Tulare county and 1 is in Kern.

[Commonground]

Óscar A. Contreras

@oscarcontrarius
·
2m
Those 5 others #H5N1 #birdflu human cases California was waiting on have been confirmed by the CDC, bringing the state total to 11. In 13 days. Makes you wonder how much this thing is flying under the radar.

[Commonground]

Crystal Heath DVM
@drcrystalheath
There are many more sick workers than what is being reported. The workers are refusing testing because if they are positive, they have to take ten days off work with no compensation. We need to make sure these workers are being compensated. The United Farm Workers is working on getting the Worker's Compensation board to confirm that they are eligible for coverage. It's wild that we bail out corporations and not the workers.
8:48 PM · Oct 16, 2024
·16.5K Views


C Moore
@CMoore79775922
·9h
Yes, we need @UFWupdates to push on this, and urgently. Workers getting sick is bad. Workers getting sick, especially with regular flu season coming, could lead to something very serious, if it hasn't already.

[Commonground]

CDPH Reports 13 Confirmed Human Cases of Bird Flu

October 18, 2024

Case reporting moves to cdph.ca.gov next week

What You Need to Know: CDPH continues to work with federal, state and local partners to monitor and respond to human cases of bird flu in the state. The risk to the general public remains low, although individuals who interact with infected animals are at higher risk of getting bird flu. Beginning next week, CDPH will report confirmed cases on its website, cdph.ca.gov.


Sacramento – CDPH reports a total of 13 human bird flu cases have been confirmed in California. All 13 cases are Central Valley individuals who had direct contact with infected dairy cattle and were confirmed after additional testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 13 individuals had direct contact with infected dairy cattle at 11 different farms.

continued: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA.../NR24-035.aspx

[sharon sanders]

CDPH Reports 13 Confirmed Human Cases of Bird Flu

October 18, 2024

Case reporting moves to cdph.ca.gov next week

What You Need to Know: CDPH continues to work with federal, state and local partners to monitor and respond to human cases of bird flu in the state. The risk to the general public remains low, although individuals who interact with infected animals are at higher risk of getting bird flu. Beginning next week, CDPH will report confirmed cases on its website, cdph.ca.gov.


Sacramento – CDPH reports a total of 13 human bird flu cases have been confirmed in California. All 13 cases are Central Valley individuals who had direct contact with infected dairy cattle and were confirmed after additional testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 13 individuals had direct contact with infected dairy cattle at 11 different farms.

continued: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA.../NR24-035.aspx

Please see:

US - H5N1 Human Case List - Updated