Missouri Reports First Human Case of H5 Bird Flu with No Animal Exposure

Sep 6, 2024, 10:10 PM

Missouri has reported its first human case of H5 bird flu, marking the 15th case in the United States since 2022. The Missouri Department of Health confirmed that the patient had no known exposure to animals, making it the first such case in the U.S. The case was detected through standard flu surveillance rather than specialized bird flu monitoring. The patient, who had underlying medical conditions, was hospitalized on August 22, has since recovered and been discharged from the hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed the case and stated that the risk of widespread transmission remains low. An investigation into the potential exposure is ongoing.