FRANKLIN COUNTY, Wash. — Four farm workers in Franklin County tested presumptively positive for bird flu, in what WA Department of Health said are the state’s first cases of bird flu detected in humans.
Officials from the Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture and other agencies held a press conference on October 20 to provide updates on their investigation into the cases.
The cases originated at a farm that was the site of a bird flu outbreak in chickens. Roughly 800,000 birds were euthanized after the outbreak was confirmed by WA Department of Agriculture on October 15.
Exposed workers on the farm were tested by Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD) at the Washington State Public Health Lab. The test samples were shared with the CDC for final confirmation and analysis.
Health officials from various state agencies are coordinating to provide a thorough response to the outbreak.
DOH and BFHD provided personal protective equipment (PPE) to workers on the farm and are monitoring exposed workers for any bird flu symptoms.
The works who presumptively tested positive experienced mild symptoms and have been provided with antiviral medication, according to the Department of Health.
Bird Flu, also known as Avian Influenza or H5N1, is a disease usually found in wild aquatic birds. DOH said H5N1 can also infect other kinds of birds and sometimes mammals.
The CDC said it considers the risk to the general public as relatively low at this point, but that people with jobs or activities related to potentially exposed birds, cattle or other animals are at higher risk and should take precautions, such as wearing PPE.
The DOH also said people should never handle or allow pets near dead birds.
For more information on bird flu, visist doh.wa.gov.
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