Twice weekly updates of human bird flu cases being provided by Colorado

Colorado last week reported three new cases of avian flu in Weld County farm workers,  This week the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has a data table to track cases of avian flu in humans. The table will be updated on the CDPHE website by 4 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. 

CDPHE, the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and the State Emergency Operations Center have had a rough July. It became the first state to mandate testing of all commercial dairies. Colorado reports 47 cow herds with avian flu infections and 33 commercial poultry flocks, which have led to the loss of 6,3 million birds.

 The mandatory statewide surveillance for all Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) licensed commercial cow dairies began on July 22 under an order by the State Veterinarian.

“We have been navigating this challenging, novel outbreak of HPAI in dairy operations for nearly three months in Colorado and have been unable to curb the spread of disease at this point,” said Dr. Maggie Baldwin, State Veterinarian. “We have seen devastating impacts of this disease not only on our dairy industry but also on our poultry industry. With the strong support of the dairy and poultry industries, we feel this is the best next step to protect these vital industries in our state.”

The three new cases from a second farm in Weld County brought Colorado’s total number of confirmed avian flu cases in humans to 10 — nine cases at two poultry farms and one case from a dairy farm.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which sent a team out to help Colorado, continues to monitor the situation nationally, noting that:

• H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows. Several recent human cases have been reported in U.S. dairy and poultry workers.
• While the current public health risk is low, the CDC monitors the situation carefully and works with states to monitor people exposed to animals.
• CDC uses its surveillance systems to monitor for H5 bird flu activity in people.

The CDC “scoreboard” charts the rising numbers: commercial poultry losses have topped 100 million birds since early 2022 in 48 states, Cow herd infections since March total 171,  Bird flu in 9,555 wild birds have reached all 50 states,

The virus has spread among poultry and dairy cattle.  Colorado health officials have also identified it in farm workers directly exposed to infected cattle and poultry. 

Currently, there is no evidence of person-to-person spread.  CDPHE has this advice for the Colorado public:

• Avoid contact with sick birds and other animals.
• If you must handle sick or dead birds or animals, wear recommended personal protective equipment, including an N95 respirator, eye protection, and gloves.
• Drink pasteurized milk. According to the FDA, pasteurization eliminates potentially harmful bacteria and viruses.

Common symptoms of avian flu in people include, but are not limited to:

• Eye redness (or pink eye)
• Fever (temperature of 100ºF [37.8ºC] or greater) or feeling feverish
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Animals do not normally spread avian flu to humans, nor does it usually spread from person to person. While there are no known cases of the current H5N1 avian flu virus spreading between people, public health officials monitor people following exposure to infected animals.

Flu medicine (antivirals) can treat avian flu in people. In general, treatment works best when started as soon as possible after symptoms begin.

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