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Over the weekend, Missouri officials identified a person sick with bird flu despite having no known contact with animals. Farm Policy News from the University of Illinois says this is the first case of the virus this year not linked to farm work. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that the Missouri patient was hospitalized and treated with antiviral medications. The patient has since recovered and has been discharged from the hospital. This is the 14th case of bird flu infection in humans this year. Ten cases were reported in Colorado, two in Michigan, and one in Texas, all amid an outbreak in animals. Before this year, there was only one reported case of bird flu in the U.S. in a poultry worker from Colorado, who was infected in 2022. Possible signs of human infection include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, conjunctivitis or pink eye, and runny nose.
Story from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.