A child in populous Alameda County tested positive for the avian influenza virus and was recovering at home from mild upper respiratory symptoms, said California public health officials on Tuesday. The child had no known contact with an infected animal and would be the second such case in the United States this year.
Family members of the Alameda County child were given preventive medication although they tested negative for the bird flu virus. The California Department of Public Health said other people who had contact with the child, who attended daycare, were being notified and would be offered testing and preventive treatment.
“It’s natural for people to be concerned, and we want to reinforce for parents, caregivers, and families that based on the information and data we have, we don’t think the child was infectious — and no human-to-human spread of bird flu has been documented in any country for more than 15 years,” said Dr. Tomas Aragon, the state public health director.
To date, the H5N1 virus has been confirmed in 53 people, not counting the Alameda County child, according to the CDC; 27 of them were in California. All but one of the confirmed cases were dairy and poultry farmworkers. The exception was a hospitalized Missourian with no known contact with animal.
The California Department of Public Health said the Alameda County child “had no known contact with an infected animal, but public health experts are investigating a possible exposure to wild birds.” The child tested positive for bird flu with results indicating a low-detection that was not likely to be infectious to other people. A repeat test four days later was negative for bird flu virus but positive for respiratory viruses that could be the cause of the child’s cold and flu symptoms. Samples were sent to the CDC for confirmatory tests.
Alameda County, with 1.6 million residents, occupies much of the East Bay region, including the cities of Berkeley, Fremont, and Livermore. Oakland is the county seat.
The risk of bird flu to the general population is low, said the CDC.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Food and Agriculture said tests have found bird flu infections in 335 herds in the state, an increase of 41 herds over the weekend. There are around 1,100 dairy herds in California, the No. 1 dairy state.