U.S. Reports First Severe Human Case of Bird Flu
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A person in Louisiana is very sick in the hospital with bird flu. This is the first serious human case in the U.S. The person probably got the illness from birds in a backyard.
California has made an emergency about the H5N1 virus. This is because it is spreading in milk farms and has made many farm workers sick this year. It has been hard for officials to control the outbreak, which has spread to cows for the first time in 2024 because some farmers do not want to test. The sick person in Louisiana shows the virus can be more dangerous. Before, it only caused red eyes in sick workers.
Since April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found 61 human cases mostly in dairy farm workers. Bird flu has hit more than 860 milk farms in 16 states since March and has killed 123 million birds since the outbreak began in 2022. In California, which makes the most milk, 649 farms have tested positive since late August, making up about 60% of the state’s dairy farms, according to U.S. data.
Vocabulary and Phrases: Bird flu (a virus that spreads from birds to humans), emergency (a critical situation needing immediate action), outbreak (a sudden rise in disease cases), dairy farm (a farm producing milk), sick (unwell due to illness)
A Louisiana resident is critically ill in the hospital with the first severe human case of bird flu in the U.S., likely from contact with an infected backyard flock.
California, the most populous state, declared an emergency over the H5N1 virus because it’s spreading more in dairy herds and has infected many farm workers this year. Federal and state officials have struggled to control the outbreak, which infected dairy cattle for the first time in 2024, as some farmers resist testing and containment. The severe respiratory illness in the Louisiana patient shows higher health risks from the virus, which had previously caused eye redness, or conjunctivitis, in infected dairy workers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed 61 human cases nationally since April, mostly among dairy farm workers where the virus had spread to cattle. Bird flu has infected more than 860 dairy herds in 16 states since March and killed 123 million poultry since the outbreak began in 2022. In California, the top U.S. milk-producing state, 649 herds have tested positive since late August, making up about 60% of its herds, according to U.S. data.
Vocabulary and Phrases: Bird flu (a virus that spreads from birds to humans), dairy herd (a group of cows raised for milk production), outbreak (a sudden increase in disease cases), containment (actions to stop the spread of disease), respiratory illness (a disease affecting the lungs), conjunctivitis (eye infection causing redness), poultry (domestic birds raised for food)
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