Colorado health officials report five human cases of bird flu in poultry workers
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The state of Colorado is now reporting a total of five human cases of bird flu in poultry workers.
Four of these cases have been confirmed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, with the other presumptive positive and pending confirmation.
The workers are believed to have caught the virus through direct work with infected poultry at a commercial egg operation in northeastern Colorado. The specific location has not yet been released.
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), the workers exhibited mild symptoms of avian influenza, including conjunctivitis (pink eye) and common respiratory infection symptoms. None were hospitalized.
The first case was confirmed on July 3 and was the first human case of avian flu in Colorado since 2022, CDPHE said. On July 5, Gov. Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency in response to the initial outbreak.
On July 2, federal officials announced the U.S. government will pay vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to accelerate the development of a pandemic influenza vaccine that could be used to treat bird flu in humans.
CDPHE says the risk for the general public remains low. It is safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry products; properly cooking poultry, meat and eggs kills bacteria and viruses, including avian flu viruses.
If you work with dairy cows or poultry that may have avian flu and you start to feel sick, you should seek medical care. You can also call CDPHE at 303-692-2700.
