Oregon confirms state’s first human case of H5N1 bird flu in Clackamas County
Oregon health officials confirmed on Friday that an Oregon resident had tested positive for H5N1, an avian influenza strain that’s spread rapidly among bird flocks.
This marks the state’s first human case of bird flu. The Oregon Health Authority said the case is linked to an outbreak in chickens at a commercial egg farm in Clackamas County last month.
The person experienced mild symptoms and has since recovered, according to Dr. Sarah Present, Clackamas County’s public health officer. The state said the person and others in their household have been prescribed antiviral medications “to minimize any risk of spread.”
Officials have not said where the individual resides or work, nor have they disclosed the egg facility’s location and name.
State health epidemiologists are working with local public health agencies to monitor people who had contact with infected birds at the facility, the health authority said, adding that there was no evidence of person-to-person transmission of the virus.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger, health officer and Oregon’s state epidemiologist, said in a statement that people most at risk of infection are those who have had “close or prolonged,” exposure to infected animals, or environments where they have been.
This case comes after several farm workers in southeastern Washington tested positive for H5N1 virus last month. Several of the workers spent time in Oregon while infected, health officials have said, but returned to Washington for monitoring once they’d tested positive.
Health officials advise the public to avoid contact with sick or dead birds or animals and not to consume unpasteurized or raw dairy products like milk or cheese.
— Kristine de Leon covers consumer health, retail, small business and data enterprise stories. Reach her at kdeleon@oregonian.com.
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