The California Department of Public Health is tracking a possible case of human bird flu originating in the Central Valley.

An employee at a Central Valley dairy facility has a “presumptive positive” test result for H5N1 — the highly pathogenic virus that has attacked poultry facilities across the United States before “jumping” to dairy cows back in March and eventually to California in August.

The employee was working at a facility that had an outbreak. They reported mild symptoms, which included conjunctivitis, the CDPH said in a news release Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to confirm the test results and the individual is being treated with antiviral medication and is at home, the state health department said.

“Ongoing health checks of individuals who interact with potentially infected animals helped us quickly detect and respond to this possible human case. Fortunately, as we’ve seen in other states with human infections, the individual has experienced mild symptoms,” CDPH Director Dr. Tomás J. Aragón said in the release.

“We want to emphasize that the risk to the general public is low.”

People who interact with infected animals, like those working at poultry facilities or dairies, are at higher risk of getting the virus. The health department is recommending using personal protective equipment —such as respirators, eye protection and gloves — for anyone working with animals or materials that might be infected.

The state health department has distributed more than 340,000 respirators, 1.3 million gloves, 160,000 goggles and face shields, and 168,000 bouffant caps from the state and federal stockpiles in the past four months. Those supplies have gone directly to affected dairy farms and farmworker organizations, poultry farm and slaughterhouse workers and those who handle raw dairy products.

H5N1 was first detected in California poultry in 2022, according to the health department, which quickly began tracking the bird flu and making preparations for a possible human infection.

According to the CDC, 14 states have now reported infected dairy cattle herds.

The first human case was reported in Colorado in April.

If confirmed, the Central Valley case would make the 15th human case of bird flu reported in the U.S. in 2024.

Bird flu symptoms

Those in contact with infected animals should monitor themselves for 10 days, watching for eye redness (conjunctivitis), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing and fever. Sick persons should immediately isolate and contact their public health department for testing and treatment.

The state health department is using the opportunity to reminder residents, and especially workers at risk for exposure to bird flu, to get a flu vaccine. While it does not protect from the H5N1 virus, it will decrease the risk of dual infections and reduces the chance of severe illness from the season flu.

It is also reminding that pasteurized milk and dairy products are safe to consume.

Pasteurization is effective at inactivating the H5N1 virus and milk from sick cows is not permitted in the public milk supply, per state and federal requirements.

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