The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is reporting six confirmed human cases of avian influenza in Central California

Related to CDC genome sequencing In the first two human avian flu cases in California, there is no evidence that the virus increases the ability to infect or spread between people, nor is there any known reduced susceptibility to antiviral drugs.

In addition to the six confirmed cases, CDPH has also been notified of another possible human case, also in the Central Valley. This sample was sent to the CDC for confirmatory testing.

All six people with confirmed cases of bird flu experienced mild symptoms, including eye redness or discharge (conjunctivitis). All were treated according to CDC guidelines and none were hospitalized.

While the risk to the general public remains low, additional human cases of avian influenza are expected to be identified and confirmed in California in individuals who have regular contact with infected dairy cows. CDPH continues to work closely with local health authorities to identify, track, test, confirm and treat possible and confirmed human cases of avian influenza.

For more information on CDPH’s response, please contact us Bird flu Website.

Risk remains low: The risk to the general public remains low, but people who interact with infected animals, such as workers on dairy or poultry farms, are at higher risk of contracting bird flu. CDPH recommends that anyone working with animals or materials infected or potentially infected with the avian influenza virus wear personal protective equipment or PPE such as eye protection (face shield or goggles), respirators (N95 masks), and gloves. Wearing PPE helps prevent infections. Please note the CDPHs Employee protection against bird flu for comprehensive PPE guidance.

Pasteurized milk and dairy products remain safe to consume because pasteurization is completely effective in inactivating the avian influenza virus. As an additional precaution and in accordance with long-standing state and federal requirements, milk from sick cows is not permitted in the public milk supply.

What CDPH does: CDPH has helped coordinate and support outreach to dairy producers and farm workers on preventive measures that have helped keep the number of people in other states experiencing bird flu outbreaks low. CDPH continues to support local health departments in distributing PPE from state and federal stockpiles directly to affected dairy farms, farmworker organizations, poultry farm workers, those handling raw dairy products, and slaughterhouse workers. To protect California farmworkers from bird flu, CDPH has distributed more than 340,000 respirators, 1.3 million gloves, 160,000 goggles and face shields, and 168,000 wool hats over the past four months.

Additionally, CDPH works closely with local health laboratories and local health departments to conduct health checks for exposed individuals and ensure testing and treatment is available when needed. As one of 14 states with infected dairy herds, California also received 5,000 additional doses of seasonal flu vaccine for farmworkers from the CDC. CDPH is working to distribute doses to local health departments with the highest number of dairy farms.

CDPH has been tracking bird flu and preparing for possible human infection since the state first detected poultry in 2022. CDPH works closely with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to develop a comprehensive approach to protecting human and animal health. CDPH and the CDC use both human and wastewater surveillance tools to detect and monitor avian influenza and work closely with local health authorities to prepare for, prevent, and reduce its impact on human health.

What Californians can do: People who have been exposed to infected animals should watch for the following symptoms for 10 days after their last contact: eye redness (conjunctivitis), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headache, fatigue, difficulty breathing, and Fever. If they feel sick, they should isolate immediately and notify their staff local health departmentand work with public health and healthcare providers to obtain timely testing and treatment.

CDPH recommends that all Californians – especially workers at risk of exposure to avian influenza – receive a seasonal flu vaccination. Although the seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against bird flu, it can reduce the risk of infection with both viruses at the same time and reduce the risk of severe illness from seasonal flu.