In a news release, Tulare County Public Health announces that the department, in coordination with the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has confirmed two human cases of H5N1 bird flu in individuals who had contact with infected cattle at two separate Tulare County dairy farms.
Both cases have mild symptoms, are being treated with antiviral medications, and are isolating at home.
“Although there are now confirmed human cases of bird flu in our region, the risk to the general public remains low,” stated Dr. Thomas Overton, Deputy County Health Officer for Tulare County Public Health.
“People who interact with potentially infected animals are at higher risk of getting bird flu and we continue our efforts to provide personal protective equipment for those workers. It is extremely important for those who work on dairy and poultry farms to take precautions and follow public health guidance to prevent future human cases of infection on facilities experiencing bird flu outbreaks.”
Tulare County Public Health also says the virus was first detected in California in sick dairy cattle in August, and public health officials have been closely monitoring workers for illness at dairy facilities experiencing an outbreak of bird flu among their cattle herds.
