In “Worrying” Development, Person In Texas Diagnosed With Bird Flu

The New York Times (4/1, Mandavilli, Anthes) reports that “at least one person in Texas has been diagnosed with bird flu after having contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected, state officials said on Monday. The announcement adds a worrying dimension to an outbreak that has affected millions of birds and sea mammals worldwide and, most recently, cows in the United States.” The Wall Street Journal reports the affected individual is receiving treatment with an antiviral drug. Politico (4/1, Cancryn, Lim) says that the diagnosis, “only the second human case of H5N1 ever recorded in the country, is worrying public health experts who for decades have cautioned that avian flu could pose a serious threat.” The Washington Post (4/1, A1, H. Sun, Roubein) reports the patient, “who experienced eye inflammation as their only symptom, was tested for flu late last week, with confirmatory testing performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the weekend.” Still, the case “does not change the risk for the general public, which remains low. The person had direct exposure to dairy cattle presumed to be infected with avian influenza, Texas officials said Monday.”