Colorado now home to the largest outbreak of human bird flu infections in U.S. history
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – There are now ten confirmed human cases of avian flu in Colorado, making it the largest outbreak of the virus in U.S. history, according to state health officials.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is reporting three new confirmed bird flu cases at a second farm in Weld County. This latest update brings Colorado's total number of confirmed avian flu cases in humans to ten, with six cases coming from another poultry farm and one case found in a dairy farm worker, also in Colorado.
Yesterday, CDPHE launched a data table to track cases of human bird flu in the state. That table will be updated biweekly on CDPHE's website by 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Updates will include the number of presumptive positive human cases, the number of confirmed cases, the approximate number of people tested for bird flu and a link to the Colorado Department of Agriculture where viewers can find the number of impacted dairy and poultry farms.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture provides data on avian flu in poultry and dairy cattle, which is updated weekly or as data is confirmed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk to the general public remains low. So far, there has been no evidence of person-to-person transmission, and all positive human cases have come from direct contact with infected animals.
CDPHE recommends that anyone interacting with poultry, fowl or livestock takes precautions, including wearing recommended personal protective equipment, washing your hands after contact with birds or animals and observing livestock and poultry for signs of the illness.
