Blitz Bureau
CHICAGO: Bird flu is presumed to have infected four poultry workers in Washington state, making it the sixth US state to identify human cases this year, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
Washington is investigating other possible exposures and has tested 25 people, the department said, according to a Reuters report. The new cases fuel growing concern among public health experts, as the virus’ jump to dairy cattle this year and infections of farm workers have worried scientists and federal officials about the risks to humans.
Officials in California and Washington have said they are seeking to administer seasonal flu vaccines to farm workers in an effort to reduce their risk of being infected with both bird flu and seasonal influenza.
Infections with both types of virus simultaneously could increase the risk of changes that could make bird flu spread more easily in people and potentially cause a pandemic, Reuters quoted virologists as saying. “We don’t have evidence yet of transmission between people,” said Roberto Bonaccorso, spokesperson for Washington’s health department.
The four tested presumptively positive after working at a commercial egg farm infected by the virus, said the department. They experienced mild symptoms and were given antiviral medication, it added.
