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Bird flu detected in Michigan dairy worker

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Bird flu detected in Michigan dairy worker

Another Michigan dairy worker has been infected with a highly virulent bird flu, marking the third human case since the bird flu was detected in dairy cattle this spring but the first to report symptoms of respiratory illness.

The worker reported having a cough and eye discomfort with watery discharge, and received an antiviral treatment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. The person is isolating at home and symptoms are resolving, the agency said. Those living in the worker’s home have not developed symptoms; no other workers at the farm have reported symptoms and staff are being monitored.

Dairy workers infected in the previous cases — in Texas in April and in Michigan last week — reported eye inflammation. Federal health officials say the development underscores the need for workers to take precautions, such as wearing personal protective equipment, when working with cattle.

The two workers infected with the virus in Michigan were not wearing full protective equipment, state officials said.

The CDC reiterated that it believes the risk to the general public is low, and there is no indication of person-to-person spread. The highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in U.S. dairy cattle for the first time in late March, though researchers say the virus had probably been circulating on a limited basis for about four months before federal officials confirmed the disease.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

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